The Throne of Shirou
by Arrixam
Summary: From across Time/Space, legends from the age of Fanfiction Net come together to engage once more in the Fifth Holy Grail War. All is not as it seems as the Shirous of various works must band together to stop a force beyond their current means. But let it be known they are not alone. For they hail from the nexus above and beyond, the Throne of Shirou!
1. From Across of Time and Space

**A message from the author!**

I would like to thank the following for the creation of the following:

_Gabriel Blessing— _The King of Swords

_Marcus Galen Sands— _The King of Steels

_James D. Fawkes— _King Apeiron

_Third Fang— _Ash of Miracles / Second Magus Killer

_TypeMoonFreak— _Sir Shirou Emiya, Knight of the Round Table

_SatireSwift— _Troper

You guys are awesome and I love your stories. Without you guys, this couldn't have been possible.

Now, I wanted to throw in a few more Shirous into the mix. However, throwing in more than six would have been way too heavy for me to deal with. I'm not _that_ great as a writer. In fact, having to juggle six of them in one scene was excruciatingly hard. But I believe I did it. Rating will be mature for future references. I am a firm believer that one good "FUCK!" is okay to use when the situation calls for it. Lemons? No. But there may be a few things tossed around here and there.

I'll have you all know right off the bat. Well over 2/3 of this story will be for the sake of humor. The other 1/3 will be the drama and epic battles that made Fate/Stay Night so popular (at least to me, anyways. Who doesn't love pseudo-god duels among legendary heroes?).

If there is something you don't like, if the characters seem off, or if you have something you would like to add or believe needs to be changed please let me know.

In terms of reviews, I actually _encourage _flames. Why? Because they make me laugh. Not that I'll read all of them as most just rant about one thing and go through great detail _as well as repeating the same damn thing over and over. _Feel free to tell me how I did.

As for the title, **The Throne of Shirou**, I can tell you for certain the Throne does exist. But we'll not find out what it really means until _much _later.

And so I, Arrixam, bring you _The Throne of Shirou!_

Enjoy.

* * *

Normally when Emiya Shirou would dream, he would dream of swords, of battles, of heroic deeds, of being the Hero of Justice he will one day be. Lately, he had been dreaming about a specific sword. A gold and blue one. On others he had been dreaming of a sheath of similar properties. Both, however, were indescribable and the harder he tried to focus on them the more they seemed to resist his gaze. He was familiar with them, but uncertain how. On some nights he would dream of a red hill with swords planted into the dried soil. Swords of every shape and size fitting all types of cultures across the globe and across of all time. He found himself, on occasion, sitting at the peak— waiting for _something_. And on those rare nights he would dream of the fire that made him who he was today.

But never did he dream of facing a man.

This man with swept-back golden hair and a trimmed beard wearing a white suit with gold trim approached Shirou with the stride matching of one wielding authority. Not a man of politics who achieved his goals through under-the-table dealings, not a warlord who obtained his right through cruel bloodshed, but a man who had power because he _was _power incarnate. His red eyes looked down at Shirou not as a fellow human, but as a torrent of power admiring the results of what destruction it brought.

For what reason, it reminded Shirou of when lightning strikes sand. The storm may destroy homes with its winds, lightning, and vengeful ocean waves, but there comes a time when some anomalies occur and something beautiful is made.

But, again for a reason Shirou couldn't understand as to how, he knew this man also knew something. Shirou was a byproduct of Fire not Lightning.

In this white abyss of a dream, the man— if he could be called such— approved of his appraisal, but did not any emotion behind it. When he approached the boy, this entity put one finger to his chest. At the back of his hand was a series of three crests, glowing a bright crimson in contrast to his white and gold aura.

One of the crests faded.

Instantly, Shirou felt _something_ shift inside him. Something deep within his core. It was not alive, it was inanimate, but it _squirmed_ at the man's touch. Needless to say, Shirou retched forward as the influence of the powerful being battled against whatever it was inside the boy. Shirou felt, as though colors could be felt to begin with, two hues of gold going against the other not unlike oil and water.

It was from this Shirou understood two things. Information traveled through his mind as though these two forces were attempting to explain everything to him so he may prepare himself.

The sheath he had been dreaming of for so long was the scabbard held by King Arthur's Excalibur. The mythical and lost artifact of the Fae, Avalon.

The second was the truth about the man. He was no man. He was not even a force of nature. He was a Divine Spirit. A God of Old.

The god was dissatisfied with the results. Whatever he had done to Shirou was not what he wanted. But before Shirou could ask what had been done, Avalon had shifted once more. Instead of the sheath moving slightly against the god's touch, it _repulsed_ against it. This violent rejection forced Shirou to his knees. The wonders of the Fae do not mix with the miracles of the gods. Avalon may be a holy artifact, but it is a miracle crafted through the prayers of the Fae for humanity. Gods are creations from humanity directly.

But from this result, the god smiled. "Good," his voice was booming even when his tone was light and subtle. "Be appreciative for what I have done." He turned and started to walk away, deeper into the white abyss as his body began to fade.

Shirou reached for the divine one. From this he saw the veins in his hand and arm were glowing a florescent gold. His skin was turning red. His fake circuits were running wildly as prana surged.

"To use a Command Seal before the Servant—" was all Shirou heard before the white land vanished.

And was replaced with the dimly lit familiar area of the Emiya's workshop. Shirou sat up with a fright, breaking in sweat and breathing erratically. His skin tingled from the experience of the dream. But it was only a dream, he told himself. Only a dream. From some of the things Kiritsugu told Shirou about the Magus community, the gods have all but vanished at the end of the Age of Gods. Some Divine Spirits exist in the form of unintelligent beasts, but they are hidden away from the reaches of man. Divine Spirits that have been forgotten by man have all but diluted into Elementals. A God of Old, capable of walking into dreams, capable of human intellect, was out of the question.

The experience was not painful, only uncomfortable. It was nothing compared to the fire of Fuyuki.

Still, Shirou was left shaken from the dream. Even if was _only _a dream. He felt his circuits flare in the dream— a feeling he was a bit too familiar with from making makeshift circuits for so long. Perhaps when he was sleeping he had, somehow, made one subconsciously and had, again somehow, slept through the pain.

Sighing to himself as he wove a hand through his hair, he decided to examine the damage on his body. Focusing just a little bit of prana, he used Structural Analysis.

…And nearly had a heart attack.

With having natural circuits as well as making false circuits over the few years, Shirou had a total of sixteen. Though, the makeshift ones faded away in less than a week, sometimes a day or two, and on occasion within the span of an hour. However, after examining his body through Structural Analysis he can say, for certain, he did not have _sixteen _circuits.

He had over _two-hundred and twenty_ high-grade magic circuits. To be more specific, he had twelve natural high-grade magic circuits and two-hundred and eight _super_ high-grade circuits. If normal circuits could be compared to copper wiring, his could be compared to Tesla coils made out of fine gold.

That's not all.

Now he was fully aware of the presence of Avalon. It was alive, in a sense. He could feel its magic working through every fiber of his being, radiating its wonders through him. It was resonating; if Shirou focused hard enough he could hear something akin to a song. It was working with his circuits. But even Shirou knew Avalon, as the sheath of King Arthur, had the innate ability to heal wounds and prevent fatality. If it was activating then…

Shirou paled. He felt _it. _The golden force invading his body was present just like from his dream. It was traveling through his veins, injecting itself into each of his cells, interweaving with every muscle. Above all, it was _mixing_ with his od— becoming one with his reserves. Avalon was doing everything in its power to purge this from his body and having no results.

Questions crossed his mind. One, why did he have Avalon? Two, what was that dream about? And three, why did a God of Old do this to Shirou?

No good answer can come from this.

There was a knock on the door of his workshop, which was really just the shed located in the corner of the Emiya household. "Sempai," came the soft voice of his underclassman Sakura. "Are you in there?"

"Y-Yeah," Shirou had to shake his head to get a better hold of himself. He had many questions, but he didn't have the time or the ability at the moment to figure anything out at the moment. "I guess I fell asleep in here last night…"

The door opened and the lavender-haired girl stepped inside. She gave a mock pout at her senior, "Honestly Sempai, you need to go to bed when it gets late. This is the third time this week."

Shirou gave a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head, "S-Sorry Sakura. It kinda just happened."

Instead of further scolding him, she smiled sweetly and instructed, "Go wash up and change. I'll go make breakfast. Make sure to hurry before Fuji-sensei comes."

"Right, right," Shirou stood up and stretched. Sakura had already left. He was a little upset he couldn't cook for the third time in a row, but that's what he gets for not waking up on time. True it had only been three days but he feared he was getting rusty. Sakura had also taken the dinner duty the past few days as well. If he didn't know better, Shirou would have said he was going through withdrawals from not being in his kitchen.

His right hand was already itching up a storm.

*scene*

The Heaven's Feel Ritual. A rite used for centuries by the Einzberns, the Tohsaka, and the Makiri along with several other Magi for the sake of obtaining the Holy Grail. A rite in which seven Heroic Spirits are called upon from the Throne of Heroes under one of seven classes of Servants and partnered with a Master Magus. Seven Servants and seven Masters fight until only one pair is left standing to receive the blessings of the Grail and have one wish granted. Hence forth the Heaven's Feel Ritual is more known through the Magus community as the Holy Grail War.

A war none have ever won.

Though in all of the history of the world there have only been five Grail Wars, there have been a plethora of Grail Wars across of time and space. Hundreds of millions, if not an infinite amount and still growing en-masse Wars have, are, and shall occur. As the Throne of Heroes exists outside of the laws of the omniverse, any 'hero' of any world— be it through Earth or not— will have their place on the Throne. In this vast collaboration of Wars, Heroic Spirits, Epic Spirits, Counter Guardians, and Anti-Heroes have been called forth to fight and kill another for the chance to claim the Grail.

And what better excuse to settle the banter of divine beings than by a premade game system? What was another War compared to the millions-billions-trillions of others of its kind?

Seated on their own Throne, the last of the gods gathered to discuss how they will settle their differences. They were the Original Ones, those born before the Primordial Age and had watched the mysteries of the omniverse come to be. They had watched their underling gods attempt to manipulate the world, to rule over humanity when humanity had no need of them. They had watched as humanity had, constantly, slayed the Divine Spirits. Only fools would try to, say, 'bite the hand that feeds'. For it was humanity who had created these _lesser _Divine Spirits.

The nine seated at the table were arrogant, but knew their place. Perhaps at one time they were Divine Spirits, as they each remembered the time in which they fed from the prayers of humanity. Now they no longer required humanity to exist, for they had existed _before_. From their arrogance, they named themselves the Original Spirits.

In the beginning of this debacle, which had been going on since they all learned the concept of 'superiority', only eight bickered back and forth. Time was irrelevant, for these beings were beyond its concept. But more than enough _progress_ had happened. Enough to where the Mother-Father of them all had come from its non-existent realm to silence them all.

Cosmos, the entity of the Abyss and Ruler of Before the Beginning.

The Mother-Father had reached its non-existent level of tolerance for its 'children'. But it was well aware simply ordering their silence will not be enough to seize their squabbling. Something more… permanent was needed. And so, he ordered the quest to challenge each of their traits to their fullest, without having to destroy the omniverse. One or two or a million universes have already collapsed. If they were to act like mortal children, then it shall treat them as such and give them a _game_ to settle things quietly.

Hence forth the upcoming Fifth Holy Grail War.

"Each shall choose one Master and one Primary Servant to be champion," the Mother-Father elaborated. Its children listened well to its rules, already finding holes as Cosmos' words had always been vague. Absolute, but vague.

"Each shall follow the Servant class system.

"A Servant must be born within Gaia's influence.

"Each shall only directly influence a Master three times at the use of a Command Seal. At the end of the third, you shall forfeit your right to play and claim victory, regardless if the chosen Master wins.

"The victor is decided when a Master or Servant claims the Grail.

"There shall be no Ultimate Ones or Types brought onto Gaia's territory."

To ensure the rules are enforced, Gaia, Alaya, and Cosmos itself shall have their own unique Servants of their choosing of a different class. One to ensure the laws of the omniverse remain intact, one to ensure humanity is not removed from existence, and one to ensure _someone_ wins. Neither Gaia or Alaya were pleased, but did not say so in front of Cosmos.

Ordered by Cosmos, the being of Mercury was to choose her Master and Servant first. And she was to do so in front of everyone else present.

Not that it mattered. Mercury already knew which Master she was to choose. Out of the seven already marked with the mundane Command Seals, the most logical choice would be the homunculus Ilyasviel von Einzbern. She was modified to be the ultimate Master, in any case. And who would dare attack the vessel of the Grail? With her massive reserves of prana as well as her drive for revenge against her father and the boy she believed he chose, she would be the greatest spear and shield.

As Mercury watched Ilyasviel attempt to summon her Servant, the same Heracles as it had been in _every_ War in every plane, Mercury made the right alterations. Who better to have the greatest shield with yet another equal shield? The two shall become one to be an immovable object. The Servant of her choosing was the First Sinner, He Who Bears the Mark of God.

But it was not to be.

As the ritual was finalizing, Mercury knew something was wrong. Her Servant did not come. Her Servant, impossibly, was not affected by her magic. Mercury, the being of _all _magic could not call forth this Servant. This was an embarrassment she as well as her siblings shall always remember. But she will have to put her pride aside for the ritual was nearly done. Even outside of time and space, Mercury had to act quickly else 'progress' overthrow the lack of time.

Swiftly, and with a sneer, Mercury chose her back-up Servant. She was furious. It was merely satisfactory. A girl equal to the Ilyasviel, surely, but limited greatly to the Berserker class. She would have been significantly better suited as a Caster for the use of _those cards_. No matter. What is a challenge without, well, a challenge?

Venus followed on Cosmos' orders. Her Master was… unimportant— best left to be nameless. The Servant of her choosing had been an entity of the future, one in which Gaia was greatly displeased to see as well as each of the other Original ones. Alaya simply laughed. After all, Venus had chosen this Assassin because of _that gun_. The Master was unimportant because the Assassin had killed him mere seconds after the summoning, simply because the Master was a Child of the Moon.

The next to choose was Neptune. Immediately, he had chosen the representative of the Matou family, a young defiled thing named Sakura. He reasoned because he was familiar with the situation of the girl and was more than willing to humor the Matou family, for the family was using a mirror as a catalyst. The mirror belonged to a legend in which brought nostalgia to Neptune; claiming it had something to do with one of his 'fragmented lives'.

He was the first to reveal a hole in Cosmos' rules. One Master and one _Primary _Servant. He laughed as neither Mercury nor Venus had noticed this. Nevertheless, this caused uproar amongst the Originals. Neptune had summoned, indeed, one Primary Servant, a Rider, but included three others in his summoning.

"I'll allow it," declared Cosmos, with a smile. "However, they must be linked in their legends."

His words were absolute.

Mars followed. He had an eager smile on his face. He had been nervous ever since Mercury had tried to summon the Sinner as a Servant. Mars had the Sinner in mind since the beginning. It came as a shock when he revealed he was not going to use the Sinner as a Servant, but as a Master. The First Sinner, Cain, was still alive and wandering the living plane as an everlasting one, to carry out his curse even After the End.

His Servants, however, were much better thought of. Who better to summon into the Grail War than what he was most familiar with, those he knew their potential and limits better than anyone in the entire omniverse including within the Throne of Heroes? His Primary Servant was Lancer, a wielder of an _unstoppable spear_, while he brought about three others. Each of Roman origins, including Mars' ultimate champion and bearer of his sword. Venus may have a god-slayer, but Mars champions two.

Uranus was next and had chosen the representative of the Magus Association. An Enforcer named Bazett Fraga McRemitz. But, as the female was summoning the Hound of Culann, Uranus, like all others before her, manipulated the summoning. Uranus had chosen a Caster, one who was _one with nature at the Primordial Age_. However, her planning was for naught. The 'priest' supervising her summoning ritual had betrayed the Fraga, cutting off the arm which held her Command Seals and then stabbing her. Regrettably, Uranus had to use her own Command Seals to stop the Caster from striking down the Priest. She refused to lose before the game even started.

Saturn chose after much thought. After examining Cosmos' rules extensively and observing his siblings summon their champions, Saturn was sure with himself. His Master would be Rin Tohsaka, for reasons he excluded to himself. The Servant of his choosing was a _Counter-Guardian_ Archer among every parallel hero bound to the ties of said Archer. Alaya was not pleased one of her own was going to participate, but Cosmos allowed it along with the Servant's alternative selves.

However, Saturn did not calculate the _minor_ mistake when choosing his Master. Rin Tohsaka had made an error in her summoning. A grave error…

*scene*

Daylight Savings. Of course. Of course! Of all the things Rin had failed to do she had forgotten about Daylight Savings, which _many_ of her teachers reminded her about for the past few days. Her magical peak was an hour away. Thanks to her slight mishap, her Summon Servant ritual had gone horribly, horribly wrong. It wasn't just some small glitch where she summoned a completely incompatible Servant. The giant hole through the ceiling of her living room caused from the summoning could even be excused. Hell, even not getting Servant Saber was nothing compared to this.

Summoning _seven_ Servants at once, without going through the whiplash of prana exhaustion from supporting them all, should have been a blessing— within the rules of the War or not be damned. But right now, everything about this summoning was just… wrong.

_'No, no,'_ she told herself. _'In the previous War, that fake priest summoned an Assassin who split himself into multiple Servants. Maybe this one is… oh who am I kidding?'_

It was all wrong because _every _Servant resembled her classmate, the School Doormat, Emiya Shirou.

The first was a Shirou not that much older than her, maybe by a year or two. He still had his rust colored hair, fair skin, and topaz eyes, but this one was clad completely in medieval armor from the neck-down. It was beautifully crafted steel fit for his slim build with a blue tunic underneath and a blue cape flourishing down his shoulders. In each hand were a pair of swords; one black broadsword in his right and a silver straight sword with three emeralds in his left. He was ready to strike before _something_ forced him to stop in his tracks and gain his bearings. Most likely the same something that confused the others in the room.

The one to his right was, again, not that much older than Rin. He wore a basic sweatshirt with jeans. Rin would have sworn this was her Shirou from school if not for his… aura. Like all the others, he was on edge and ready to strike, but there was one difference. From his stance as well as the look on his face he matched the perfect description of a 'warrior king'. This one was mighty and unwilling to bend if need of it arises.

Across the room was a Shirou about five years her senior. His hair was mostly white, save for a few red strands mismatching all over his head. He wore a long red and gold cloak that _radiated _magical properties. And if the fabric gave off _some_ magic into the air, he had a crimson and gold sword ready to be drawn that emitted a g_rand _deal of mana.

Beside that one was a Shirou of similar age. There were some spots of white in his hair, but not as much as his or the others Rin had yet to mention. He wore some black leather armor over a long-sleeved garment and had a solid blue cloak held together by a leather belt, except the top half of the cloak hung at the belt making it all look like one big skirt. In his hand, where runes glowed, was an iron single-edge sword with a brass quillon. And it was dripping blood all over her carpet…

An angry tick surfaced over Rin's brow.

And beside that one was a Shirou younger than the two, yet older than Rin. All of his hair was white and his skin was both tanned and pale, giving it a very gray color. This one had a long black cloak with a red shirt underneath, cargo pants, and combat boots. In his hand was a large black bow with an unrealistically large spiral arrow notched. His eyes had flickered around the room— Rin didn't miss how they changed from topaz to steel gray.

If it weren't for this Shirou, Rin would not have been able to tell who the hell the one by the couch was. This Shirou was just as tall as the older ones, the tannest, and had white spiked hair. He wore a two-piece red cloak— which the upper half covered his shoulders and some of his back while the other half wrapped around his waist and fell to his ankles. Underneath was black flexible armor, black trousers, and black steel-plated boots. He was just as on edge of everyone in the room, having drawn a black and white pair of Chinese falchions out of seemingly nowhere.

Shirou number seven just walked out of the house, declaring he needed to find a computer since the 'Technologically Challenged Magic Girlfriend Type A Tsundere'was not in possession of one. Rin understood only half of that, choosing for the better of her sanity to ignore the latter half. This one wore a standard black trench coat with fingerless leather gloves and— in the name of all that is holy— _sunglasses_ in the dead of night.

The six others stared at each other in a deadlock. The tension was so thick Rin was afraid if she said something or moved in the slightest it would trigger one big brawl. She didn't want any of them to get hurt. Not that she had feelings for Shirou in the slightest, even if the majority of them were good to look at, nope! She didn't want any more blood on her carpet. And she doubted she could afford to rebuild her house with the current funds.

"Eh, Partner," came the voice of the blue-cloaked Shirou's sword. His _sword_! "Why're there so many other Partners here?"

"I don't know, Derf," the owner replied to the sentient sword. His eyes narrowed as he said one word, one word to decipher the entire situation. "Zelretch?"

"No," shook the head of the wielder of the crimson blade. His gaze shifted across the room, from looking at the eldest Shirou with the falchions to Rin herself. "This is… the Fifth Grail War?"

A majority of the Shirous were silent. However, the one clad in knight armor questioned, "The what war? What's going on? Who are all of you?"

The most common looking Shirou, the one with the most dominating aura or rivaling that of the one with the crimson blade, was the first to lower his guard. His eyes shifted from all other Shirous until they looked at Rin's. "Tohsaka, did you just perform Summon Servant for the Grail War?"

Everyone looked at the lone female.

Rin nearly lost her composure with so many powerful figures turning their attention towards her. Hardly any of them lowered their defense and were still ready to pounce should anyone turn hostile. This in turn made Rin feel like they would cut her down where she stood if her answer was unsatisfactory.

Which wasn't true, but she couldn't tell.

Rin crossed her arms and kept her head up. She was a Tohsaka and refused to falter in posture. It didn't stop her knees from buckling, however. "I did use Summon Servant. Now I ask, are all of you my Servants?"

"Wait, wait, wait," cried out the knightly Shirou. He finally lowered his swords but waved the black one in a gesture. "Rin, what is going on?! Couldn't you wait to finally use your magic to bring me back a few hours later? And what do you mean by Servant?"

The gray-skinned Shirou questioned, "'Bring back'? Are you unaware of the Holy Grail War?"

"Holy Grail… War?" he blinked, dumbfounded. "B-But— what war?! Galahad obtained the grail and delivered it to Joseph of Arimathea! W-What happened to the Grail? Why is there a war over it?!"

"Calm down," said both the gray-skinned and blue-cloaked Shirou. They looked at each other for a moment, exchanging some sort of mental conversation only the two could follow. The blue-cloaked nodded as he began to elaborate to the knight, "The Fifth Holy Grail War is a battle between seven Magi and seven heroic-spirits called Servants. They fight over a false grail created by magic. However it—"

"Don't ignore me!" shouted Rin. Her fists were shaking as she was tempted to use her first Command Seal on all of them. "Are all of you my Servants? Yes or no?!"

"That's not possible," replied the same blue-cloaked Shirou. "In order for someone to be summoned as a Servant, one would have to be a Heroic Spirit and have entered the Throne of Heroes."

"Yeah and Partner and I were in the middle of an Orc raid 'efore ya dragged us here," interjected the sword. It 'talked' by moving its quillon up and down as though it were a mouth. "Hey, ah, Partner, speaking of which… What do ya think the pink one will say when she finds out you're missin' again?"

He blinked, "Oh, I'm sure Louise can manage without me for a bit. If she really needs me, she can summon me again." He faced Rin once more and showed his glowing runes, "As you can see, I am still alive and already have a Master."

"I am also not a Heroic Spirit," replied the common-looking one. "I had just finished hosting a dinner party of the most dangerous people in the world and was helping out with the cleanup. I can assure you I am still alive."

"As am I," the wielder of the crimson blade placed it inside a magically smaller and equally beautiful sheath. "I was returning from an expedition with the Church in hunting down one of the Dead Apostle Ancestors."

The grayish Shirou reacted notably. He took the chance to add in his piece as a way to quickly recover, "I was also on an Apostle hunt out in a small village in Chile. The Apostle was on the run as I was unleashing a few of my arrows before I appeared here."

The knight Shirou looked around as he listened to each of their small stories. When he found it to be his turn, he spoke up. "I… I was in the middle of a battlefield. I was fighting the armies of Morgana le Fay and the traitor Mordred. The battle was reaching its climax before I was brought here."

He turned to Rin and raised one of his swords at her, which made everyone in the room ready to jump at the slightest twitch. "Many of my fellow knights are fighting for the kingdom as we speak! If you're not aware of the legend, King Arthur dies at the battle with Mordred! I can't let that happen!"

"H-Hey wait," Rin had to take a step back. "How was I supposed to know it would summon all of you? And what do you mean you're all still alive?! How the hell are you here then?!"

"The same way you sent me back in time," he snarled. "Trying to summon _something _with your magecraft."

"For the most part," the gray Shirou took a few steps to become between the knight and Rin, "we are here now. It would be best if we examine the situation calmly and professionally and then react accordingly." His head turned towards the only Shirou who had yet to say a word, "Do you know what's going on, Archer?"

Archer? Rin looked at the tallest Shirou standing at the edge of the couch, still holding those Chinese falchions in his grip. His glare was hard when he finally realized he was in a corner. The majority of the Shirous knew who this individual was. The gray Shirou pulled back his arrow, the blue-cloaked Shirou raised his talking sword, and the crimson Shirou put his hand on the hilt of his sword and stood in a quick-draw stance. The knight Shirou looked around, just as confused as Rin was. The Shirou in common clothing made no hostile movements, but kept his body tense and ready.

It was at this time Rin had enough. She raised one shaking fist, _"By order of this Command Seal—"_

All eyes snapped at her as they sensed the tug at the back of their heads.

_"I Tohsaka Rin command you Servants to stop ignoring me!"_

One of the glowing marks on the back of her hand vanished.

Every Shirou in the room felt it. A compulsion unlike any other. No matter the quality of their magic resistance, every Shirou was forced to put down their weapons and face the Magus. The weapons of the knight, the gray, and Archer disappeared into a golden mist of prana while the blue and crimson Shirous put theirs away. The regular-looking Shirou was forced to take a more lax stance when he turned towards her.

(Meanwhile the seventh Shirou who had found the twenty-four hour internet café, who had paid for two hours of access as well as an espresso, banged his head against the keyboard. The Command Seal forced him to return to the Tohsaka manor immediately. "Stupid Trigger Happy Flat as a Board Control Freak with a Crippling Insecurity," he grumbled as he marched on back. "My Rin was only 2/3rds as impulsive.")

Having everyone's attention, Rin realized her mistake. She had used a Command Seal so early in the War. What had she been thinking? She was a Tohsaka. She could have handled the situation much better. But she let her emotions get the better of her. These Servants of hers had continued to trample on her Tohsaka pride and repeatedly ignored her.

Taking a quick breath of air to calm her nerves, she addressed them all. "Now then, would any of you care to tell me what's going on? One at a time, and very carefully." She looked at the majority of them. "I don't even know where to begin. Not only did I get multiple Servants, but I managed to summon multiple versions of _Emiya _of all people. Is there something none of you are telling me? That Emiya is a secret Enforcer of the Clocktower or an Executioner of the Church? That all along the Emiya Shirou everyone in school uses as a walking, talking _doormat _is actually a Magus I, the Second Owner, managed to miss? Is that it?"

By the end of her questioning a smile had grown. It would seem the majority of the Shirous knew what happens when she smiles this way. Those that didn't— the knight being the only one, really— took a reflexive step back.

"R-Rin," more than half of them began to sweat and lift their hands in the same stupid gesture as an attempt to calm her down. For some reason seeing the same nervous smile, the same pleading stance, the same bloody tone for crying out loud being replicated more than once in her field of vision _pissed her off_.

Instead of gunning all of them down with a Gandr— no, a Fin shot, Rin turned away from the catastrophe and headed towards the stairs. "I am going to bed. We can discuss this all in the morning. However, by the time I wake up, I expect the place to be clean. Am I clear?"

She didn't hear a response. She heard a few nervous laughs (which pushed her buttons further) and, somehow, felt a few heads nod. One of them gulped.

"Good. Now, good night."

Every other Shirou watched her leave while keeping their eyes on the other. No one drew or Projected another weapon else start a six-way brawl over nothing, but that didn't mean any of them will stop pumping prana through their circuits. Despite the compulsion of the Command to 'stop ignoring Rin' yanking on their psyche to tend to the damage of the house, their priorities told them to watch their backs. Everyone may be a Shirou, but according to the rules of the Second Magic, the Kaleidoscope, there were infinite possibilities with endless alternatives. If there was a 'Hero' Shirou then there was surely the 'Villain'.

But the majority could agree the Counter Guardian EMIYA could not be trusted.

"Huh," the gray one broke the tension as he snickered to himself. "Even after all these years she hasn't changed one bit. And here I thought my Rin was getting softer in her old age."

Gradually, everyone started to lower their guard but not completely.

The blue-cloaked Shirou rubbed the back of his head, "The Rin from my world had always been a little…"

"Crazy?" finished the knight. "Is Tohsaka really like that? She's nothing like the person she is in school."

The most mundane of the group interjected, "I believe it may be best to discuss a few things before things progress a bit further. I can see each of us come from different worlds. Maybe we should introduce ourselves and then decide if we need to start gutting the other?"

"I agree," said the crimson Shirou as he picked up a fallen chair and brought it towards the coffee table. "We should take this moment to try and understand our situation a little better, else kill someone who doesn't deserve it. A temporary ceasefire, then?"

They agreed and gathered their selves around the small table. Archer, however, kept his distance and sat on the couch.

"Since it was my idea I will start," said the Shirou in regular clothing. "My name is still Emiya Shirou and I am the adoptive son of Emiya Kiritsugu. I was a participant of the Fifth Holy Grail War. However, in my world, the Grail is corrupted from the spirit of Angra Mainyu. As we were trying to destroy the Greater Grail, Angra Mainyu attempted to use the power of the Grail to escape into the Root of the World. However… his aim was off. My sister Ilya and I had been swept in the currents with him and found ourselves in a different world— one which the laws of Gaia are not enforced and the Age of the Gods still exists."

Many of them had questions. Between wanting to ask about the corruption from the Shirou knight and about the Age of the Gods from the others. But everyone kept quiet and listened to his side of the story.

"There, gods can descend from their legends and manifest into the physical realm. Doing so causes nature to bend to the gods' presence. In Angra Mainyu's case, the town we arrived in was covered in a miasma of curses. Many died." His eyes narrowed and fists clenched at the recollection of the event. "With the last of my dying breath, I Projected Excalibur and killed him. I died shortly after from my previous wounds before arriving in that world as well as prana exhaustion.

"However, there is a system in that world. Should anyone manage to slay a god they shall be made anew by the goddess Pandora and earn the slain god's powers, called Authorities, as their own. Probably a few hours later I came to with my body completely healed…"

He closed his eyes and began to recite, "_Campione – Godslayer – is the supreme ruler. Since he can kill a celestial being, he can therefore call on the highly divine powers held by the gods. Campione – Godslayer – is a lord. Since the power to kill a deity is in their hands, they therefore have the power to dominate the mortals on Earth. Campione – Godslayer – is a devil. Therefore of the entire humanity living on earth, those who have the power to oppose them do not exist_.

"I am King Emiya, Eighth Campione, the King of Steel."

"I trust this 'dinner party' was a gathering of these other god slayers?" asked the gray Shirou, recalling the King of Steel's story prior from being summoned.

"Only half of them," he replied with a shrug. "I don't know why I did it, honestly. Maybe it was just my ego as a King going to my head. Personally I wanted to hurl as soon as I invited them and after they left from nerves alone. And then I dug my grave deeper when I invited a Divine Ancestor to the feast— without telling the other Kings.

"Would you like to go next?" he asked the gray Shirou.

The anointed one blinked. He had been caught off-guard; he planned on introducing himself a little later when most of the tension left. But he had no choice now.

"I am the same as you, King of Steel; I was also raised by Kiritsugu. However, I think you must be one of the alternatives I read about from dad's journal. See, before he died, he had dreams about the Fifth Grail War and did everything in his power to have me as prepared as possible. He even recruited help from Waver-nii— I mean, Lord El-Melloi II and the Mystic Code crafter, Sirius McGenty. I was able to obtain some of the Emiya Crest from dad thanks to Sirius-jiji. Even after he passed away they taught me everything I know today and helped me research my Projection.

"But anyways, due to… certain events, the Queen of the Clocktower found out about the quality of my Projections and enlisted my services. As a 'gift', she gave me more of the Emiya Crest and a Noble color: Silver. So, I became known as the second Magus Killer and the Queen's Silver Dog, hunting down both Sealing Designates and Dead Apostles on her orders. I was able to keep my identity a secret by turning the Shroud of Martin here into a mask through Alteration.

"When the War came, I was well-prepared and I triumphed. I saved Ilya by making a deal with a puppet-maker to craft a body that will age naturally, saved Sakura and killed Zouken, killed Kirei, beat Gilgamesh at his own game, and destroyed Angra Mainyu. Now I just live happily with Sakura, Saber, Rin, and Rider at my house here in Fuyuki when I'm not working for the Clocktower or the Church."

"S-Saber?" asked the blue-cloaked Shirou. The question was also on the crimson one's mind, but said nothing.

"Hey Partner, isn't that—" began the talking sword when it popped out of its sheath, only to be silenced when its owner sealed it back in.

"And at what point did you become a Dead Apostle?" the crimson Shirou asked instead.

The second Magus Killer's face became as hard as stone. The tension in the room returned. "What makes you think I'm an Apostle?"

"I've been through many hunts," he replied in a firm voice. "I know when a Dead Apostle is low on prana or needs to drink soon. This isn't information you should hide from a group who are trying to decide who is hostile and who can be trusted."

"That's why I was hiding it," countered the vampire. "I don't know how any of you would react to that. And it's not serious. Thanks to the Shroud of Martin the influence is greatly reduced; I'm still a living human, but with some Apostle attributes. I can walk in the sun— granted, I feel weaker in the day and I gain strength at night. I only need to drink blood once in a while— Saber and Rider provide it most of the time or I get it from hospitals or blood banks."

He sighed and ruffled his hair in irritation. "I guess since we're placing all the cards on the table, so to speak, I might as well tell you. I am the Ash of Miracles, Tenth Dead Apostle Ancestor."

Mixed reactions crossed the table.

The crimson Shirou nodded his head, "That's good. So long as you don't go around killing innocents… Right, I guess I can go next. I am an Emiya Shirou who was adopted by Kiritsugu; however, he only gave me some teachings in thaumaturgy. During my Holy Grail War, I made a pact with the Lady of the Lake and the Queen of the Fae. For a promise, they gave me the gifts of my fabrics, of my sword Escalvatine, and my sheath Sarras. I am a defender of humanity and will venture against anything that will threaten it.

"I was once Emiya Shirou, but am now Apeiron Lepida Leitoyrgei, King of the Forsaken."

"And what was the cost?" snarled Archer as he leaned forward. His eyes were blazing with rage. "What did the Fae ask in return?"

King Apeiron gave a knowing smile, "Nothing. I promised to protect humanity as its defender, however way I see fit. The Fae trust my judgment. Why does it bother you so much, Archer?"

The Counter Guardian grimaced as his brows furrowed, "I… don't know. Judging from the likeness of each of you, you're all connected to me somehow. I don't have a story to tell any of you, because I can't remember anything about me. But I am a Servant of the Archer class, and I can tell none of you are Heroic Spirits, as you say. I can only guess it had something to do with… our Master's summoning going wrong."

He made a gesture to the ceiling. Enough was said.

Archer leaned back on the couch and crossed his arms and legs, "I guess that would make me another 'Emiya Shirou', but I can't say for certain until my memories return. Understand this changes nothing regarding the War. I was summoned to fight and so I will. If you are not Servants then you should find your way home and stay out of the fight. Or, you can help our Master and win her the Grail so you can wish yourselves home. Do whatever you want so long as you stay out of my way."

"Fair enough," shrugged the crimson Shirou with another knowing smile.

Those who knew of the Counter Guardian said nothing. They all told themselves they will keep an eye on him for the future.

"I guess I can go next," said the blue Shirou. "The same as always, I was adopted by Kiritsugu and I fought in the Fifth War. I don't know anything about this Greater Grail, but Saber and I destroyed the Grail at the end. She went back to her time after that…" he paused for a moment.

"I was unable to save Ilya. As a homunculus she only had a year after the War to live… and there was nothing I could do about it. She died… and I held her hand before she passed on…"

He shook his head to harden himself. "Rin and Lord El-Melloi II broke down the Grail System shortly after the War, much to the Association's dismay. It took me years and hardships I'll not get into detail with at the moment, but I achieved my goal of becoming a Hero of Justice. Unfortunately, no one could keep up with me and slowly my friends left me. Even Rin couldn't stay…

"About five years ago I was summoned into another world— I was supposed to be a familiar for a small mage named Louise. She was… a handful. I can't say for certain if the rules of Gaia were enforced there, but they did have a different magic system than this world. They followed the five primary elements: fire, water, earth, wind, and void. Louise was a void mage, believed to be an extinct magic and the most sacred on account of the Founder— their version of Moses or Jesus Christ, really— wielding it."

He lifted his hand to show the runes etched onto the back, "As her Servant, I was given the runes of the Gandalfr." He put his hand down. "Over the years we've worked together in the country of Tristain saving it from monsters, invaders, evil rulers of the neighboring countries, and even from itself. As I said earlier, my master and I were in the middle of clearing a forest of orcs that had attacked a nearby village," he added with a dark smile that rivaled that of Tohsaka Rin's.

"I am Emiya Shirou, Servant to the Void Mage Louise Francoise Le Blanc de la Vallière, Commander of the Undine Knights, the Elf Bane, the Endless Armory, and the King of Swords."

"Ahem!" cleared the 'throat' of his talking sword.

The King of Swords laughed to himself, "And this is the magnificent, intelligent, and ever charming sword of mine, Derflinger."

"Hmph, pleasure," replied the blade before shutting itself in the sheath.

The one donned in steel looked around the table. "I guess that would leave me last. Alright. Um… My name is Emiya Shirou and I too was adopted by Kiritsugu after the Fuyuki Fire. I don't know _any _of the things you were tall talking about; Servants, Heroic Spirits, the Grail— any of it. I never went through the War. However, one day Fuji-nee came to me and asked me to drop off some homework to Tohsaka, who had been absent from school for a few days. When I approached her house the door was open so I entered, looked for her, and heard noise coming from the basement so I figured she was down there.

"That's where I found her performing magecraft. I had no idea she was a mage! Whatever she was doing backfired and the magic circle pulled me through some hole. Long story short, I wound up in 583, at the time of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. In exchange for some help to return me here, Merlin made me his apprentice and I was taught swordsmanship from Lancelot, Bedivere, and the King on occasion—"

"Whoa/Wait/What!" came several voices.

The Campione Shirou was of right mind to ask the question everyone wanted to, "Merlin? You were taught magic by _Merlin_?! And swordplay by two of the best knights and _Arthur_?!"

"Before you answer that," interrupted the vampire, "at what point in time did you find out _he _was actually a _she_?"

The knight nearly choked on his own spit, "Wha— H-How… How do you know about that?"

Heads turned as each other Shirou (other than Archer, who kept to himself the whole time) exchanged glances. The King of Steel scratched his chin and spoke for everyone, "Wow. You didn't just go into an alternate world. You really went back in time."

King Apeiron rubbed his chin, "I wonder… Maybe Rin was trying to summon her Servant in your world and you were at the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe from having a direct link at that second to the Throne…"

"I don't know what any of that means," muttered the knight. He rolled his shoulders and went back to his tale, "Eventually, after going on a few missions with the knights, mostly with Bedivere, I was asked to join the Round Table. I was knighted by… Arturia and given armor. I made a pledge to serve for the people of Camelot and to defend it from any forces threatening it.

"I was there for two years when Mordred betrayed us and plotted with Morgana le Fay. We were waging war on the hill of Camlann when I was pulled away suddenly by Rin's spell. Now, I don't know what's going on but I need to get back as soon as possible. I am still _Sir_ Emiya, Knight of the Round Table."

At that point the door opened and was slammed shut followed by the stomping of the Shirou who had left earlier. His brows were knitted together in annoyance as he sipped his coffee. However, from seeing the group of Shirous gathered in a tight circle around the compact table, he couldn't help but raise one of those brows.

"A Sewing Circle of Shirou Rangers collaborating on a way to kill Rin?"

"Ah, Troper!" the blue Shirou nearly stood from his epiphany. "Can't you just teleport all of us back to our worlds?"

"Wait," King Apeiron Shirou paused the scene as he looked at the one sitting beside him. "You know him? How… Zelretch?"

"Zelretch," was his reply.

Troper shook his head, "Yeah, it was the first thing I was trying to do, which was why I left to find a computer. I was going to browse the net for a trope to put us back in our respective fanfictions. However, thanks to our favorite Tsundere-extraordinaire I no longer can. I'm guessing she used a Command Seal, right? Yeah… thought so. Thanks to it, we're stuck now."

"Ah… fanfi—" the Campione started to question.

"It's best you not know," finished the King of Swords.

"Oi," spat out the talking sword. "Why don't ya just use that Rule Breaker thingy? Partner's used it a few times to escape the wrath of the pink one. Heh."

There was a moment of silence as every Shirou stared at the sword. Four of them palm-slapped their foreheads. The Campione, however, slammed his head onto the table.

"Holy Crap Batman," Trope Shirou removed his sunglasses. "The Empathetic Weapon has the right idea. Someone fire up a few Rule Breakers and free us from the shrew. I'll have to take you back one at a time though."

"Please do," said Sir Emiya. "I'd like to request going first, if it's okay with everyone. I need to return to the battle immediately."

Archer said nothing as he watched the events fall-out. '_Good,'_ he thought. _'I don't know what's going on, but at least I'll be rid of some of the competition.'_

Heads nodded as the Tenth Ancestor, the Campione, the King of Steel, and King Apeiron all Projected the crooked jewel dagger Rule Breaker.

**STOP.**

—Only to have the Noble Phantasms shatter into prana particles.

Everyone was back on edge. Everyone rose from their seats. Heads turned in search for something that was not there. Against every fiber of their being told them it was not natural. A compulsion in which did not inflict their psyche but rather forced _reality_ to bend against them. This was not from the actions of a Command Seal, nor did they hear the voice of the one who summoned them, Tohsaka Rin.

It wasn't even a voice. It was soundless. Toneless. It was a Law or a Force beyond description.

"Show yourself!" shouted the Campione as his circuits charged. This Shirou recognized the one who gave the command, who forced the world to stop them from using Rule Breaker. His fists clenched and teeth ground. He had been exposed to this aura of power multiple times.

"A god," he hissed. "Impossible. Why is a god of all things in this world?"

*scene*

Saturn slumped in his seat. What he believed was an assured victory had turned into a giant liability. The odds of him being the victor had plummeted with the mistake of his chosen Master as well as having to use a Command Seal so early. The legend of Emiya Shirou was a colorful one. Emiya Shirou, a human Magus with the ability to produce a Reality Marble— a spectacular Bounded Field capable of altering the world to express the user's soul for a brief moment— was someone Saturn believed would triumph no matter who the other Originals chose to be their Servants.

In these broad legends, Emiya Shirou was capable of replicating a massive range of weapons within his Reality Marble, the Unlimited Blade Works, and Projecting them into the real world. Emiya Shirou, an entity who had seen All the World's Riches from within Gilgamesh's Gates of Babylon, wielded an armory of equal value. And each parallel Shirou in each plane of the omniverse were fearsome for their alternative choices and routes. In truth, Saturn could have summoned an entire army of Heroic Spirit Emiya Shirou; but he was just as arrogant as his siblings. He only chose those he believed would be more than enough.

The fatal mistake, however, was in his choice of Master.

The Counter Guardian was the only Servant.

Every other Emiya Shirou summoned was just as human, for they were still alive. They all lack the boost of being a Heroic Spirit. Had Rin succeeded, victory would have been Saturn's for sure.

*To Be Continued…*

Team Saturn

_Proxy Master_: Tohsaka Rin

_Servant_: EMIYA

_Class_: Archer

_Strength_**: **D

_Endurance_**: **C

_Agillity_**: **C

_Mana_**: **B

_Luck_**: **E

** Class Skills**

_ Magic Resistance:_D

_Independent Action:_B

**Personal Skills**

_Clairvoyance: _C

_Magic: _C-

_Mind's Eye (True): _B

**Noble Phantasm**

_Unlimited Blade Works— Infinite Sword Creation: E-A+++_

* * *

_Servant(?): _Emiya Shirou

_Title: _King of Steel

_Strength: _C (B with Reinforcement; B+ with _Dragon Slaying Hero_; A with _DSH_ against draconic beings)

_Endurance: _B+

_Agility: _C+

_Mana: _A+

_Luck: _D (Sometimes E through self-infliction)

**Skills**

_Magic Resistance: _A (Cancels A-Rank and below spells, including High-Thaumaturgy and Greater Rituals)

_Magecraft: _C

_Eye of Mind (True): _B

_Bravery: _B+ (As one who faces [Heretical] Gods, Shirou is hardly distracted save for the threat of a loved one. At this rank, Strength and Agility have a minor boost)

_Charisma: _C (B with _Black Knight's Armor_; A+ with S_teel for the Legion_)

**Abilities**

_Unlimited Blade Works: _N/A (However, withdrawing weapons from his inner world is still possible)

_The King, the Devil, the Godslayer— Campione: _EX (At this rank, killing anyone with _Divinity_ skill or recognized, idolized, or worshiped as a higher spirit has their abilities reaped)

_Curses Without End: _E-A+

_Dragon Slaying Hero: _B (A against draconic beings)

_Mount of the Hero: _B+

_The Heroes' Bride: _D

_Rule of the Underworld: _A+++

_Armors of the Knight— Armor of the Champion: _A+++ (D if struck at its weak spot)

—_The Black Knight's Armor: _C+

—_Steel for the Legion: _A

—_Titan Knight: _A+++

* * *

S_ervant(?): _Emiya Shirou

T_itle: _ The King of Swords

_Strength: _C (B+)

_Endurance: _C

_Agility: _C+ (A-)

_Mana: _B

_Luck: _E

**Skills**

_Magic Resistance: _D

_Magecraft: _C

_Eye of Mind (True): _B

_Master of Arms: _EX (Capable of wielding anything designed to be a weapon as well as obtaining the experience required to perform above master level. Stats of Agility and Strength are boosted signficicantly)

**Abilities**

_Unlimited Blade Works: _(Available; capable of lasting thirty minutes if Shirou has full reserves)

* * *

_Servant(?): _Emiya Shirou

_Title: _Ash of Miracles / Magus Killer

_Strength: _C-

_Endurance: _C

_Agility: _C (A+ with _Time Accel_)

_Mana: _B+

_Luck: _D

**Skills**

_Magic Resistance: _C

_Clairvoyance: _A

_Eye of Mind (True): _B

_Magecraft: _B+

_Rune Magic: _C+

**Abilities**

_Emiya Crest— Time Accel: _A

_Unlimited Blade Works: _(Available; artifacts with 'cursed' properties do not lose a grade in rank when Projected; artifacts of the Fae are reduced in cost by half in order to Project)

_Perfect Eyes— Structural Analysis: _EX (At this rank, any and all information of _everything_ within the line of sight from history, to materials, to magical properties, etc, will be assimilated and stored in the mind)

* * *

_Servant(?): _Emiya Shirou

_Title: _King Apeiron

_Strength: _B+

_Endurance: _B+

_Agility: _B+

_Mana: _A++

_Luck: _A+

**Skills**

_Magic Resistance: _C

_Magecraft: _C

_Clairvoyance: _C

_Eye of Mind (True): _B

_Protection of the Fairies: _A

**Abilities**

_Unlimited Blade Works: _(Available; capable of lasting thirty minutes if Shirou has full reserves)

**Other**

_Escalvatine— the Sword of Rapture: _EX

_Sarras— the Hidden Treasure: _E-A++

_Shroud of the Fae: _C

* * *

_Servant(?): _Emiya Shirou

_Title: _Sir Emiya, Knight of the Round Table

_Strength: _B+ (A)

_Endurance: _B+ (A)

_Agility: _B+ (A)

_Mana: _D

_Luck: _C

**Skills**

_Magic Resistance: _B

_Clairvoyance: _D

_Eye of Mind (True): _B+

_Master of Arms: _C-B+

_Prana Burst: _C (At this level, Strength, Agility, and Endurance are boosted by half a rank)

**Abilities**

_Unlimited Blade Works: _N/A (However, Tracing weapons takes twice as long as the average Shirou and new artifacts recorded require multiple Projections to be 'calibrated' with the user)

* * *

_Servant(?): _Emiya Shirou

_Strength: _?

_Endurance: _?

_Agility: _?

_Mana: _A

_Luck: _EX

**Skills**

_Librarian of Stored Knowledge: _E (A+++ when applied to Tropes)

_Mental Pollution: _D

_Magecraft: _EX (capable of performing True Magic, _apparently_)

_Breaker of the Fourth Wall: _Up to Eleven

**Abilities**

_Unlimited Trope Works: _EX


	2. IntroductionsII

I will like to give a huge thanks to the following:

_Gabriel Blessing _for the King of Swords

_Marcus Galen Sands _for the King of Steel

_James D. Fawkes _for King Apeiron

_Third Fang _for the Ash of Miracles

_TypeMoonFreak _for Sir Emiya

_SatireSwift _for Troper

Once again, and I'll be saying this every chapter I post so get used to it, you guys are awesome.

**A note from the author!**

So, I planned on having this done by Friday 10/18. Least I think that's Friday's date... Anyways, it's now Tuesday 10/22 at 1:30 in the morning as I'm typing this note. I'd like to blame school, work, and some other third thing, but in truth I have nothing to blame other than myself. I found MANY opportunities to sit down and finish this chapter but instead chose to play a little game called Dragon's Dogma. I've had the game for a year now and have accomplished nearly everything. I have yet to kill Death- not because he's hard, but because he just takes so freaking LONG to wound. I've spent half my week bullshitting on that.

Way to go, Arry. You're already off to a bad start...

Moving on, I wanted to introduce the first Servant(s) in this chapter the 'Shirou Rangers' will be dealing with. However, as I had hit the 7k word mark and barely halfway done with the chapter, I found that it would be best if I cut it and left that for the next one. Sorry folks, but the Servant(s) will come for sure in Chapter Three. Which reminds me of my next point...

Points! So here's what I do on RP sites where I post my original stories. At each chapter I will ask a question. Whosoever PMs the correct answer to me receives a certain amount of points. Multiple winners are available. And once 100 points are obtained you can cash them in for an "Undeniable Request" to be used in the story. **No OCs allowed**, however. We can have the characters perform a specific scene/task. Even Shirou-A kissing Shirou-B. The point system is silly, but the ideas people have come up with keep me on my toes and sharpen my writing skills- which is why I put it in there in the first place. So what does this have to do with my above paragraph?

First challenge! **What are the identities of the Servants?**

For this, I offer ten points for each correct answer. Some are obvious while others require a little thought- some are outright hard as hell to get right. Archer does not count- therefore you can get a total of 60 points if all are correct. I've left hints in the previous chapter when each Team was choosing their Servants.

Answers posted in Reviews will be ignored.

Now, onto another note. My selection on these six Shirous to be used wasn't necessarily based on popularity. I'll admit I did choose my favorite (it'll be obvious who that is if you pay attention to my narration). There were MANY I wanted to use but had to narrow it down to a very limited bunch. A group that would not only kick ass but would come with a lot of problems in their group-work. A story with "SHIROU SMASH" at every chapter is only entertaining so far. Drama and luggage need to be thrown at each other. And with Servants already summoned would mean that no more Shirous should be called, right?

Not entirely. Thanks to a 'hole' my Financial Advisor (the misspelling intentional- he's weird) discovered I found a way to add in more anytime I want. So, once I figure out how to juggle so many Shirous at a time (and I am getting better noticeably) I'll be able to throw in some more fan-favorites.

Oh, and regarding the statistic sheet from the first chapter- ignore it. Like the dumbass that I am at times, I've believed for the longest time the grading system for Servants was the same as the one I get in academics. It wasn't until a few pointed it out to me and some further research I discovered the point of the + in the letters (I assume the - means "half the rank" but I don't know for sure). So please ignore it until I decide to either scrap it altogether or redo it entirely.

Last, some things performed by the Shirous of this story are not in-canon to the stories they belong. For example, the Mystic Code I will be introducing by the Ash of Miracles. It was something I wove on my own for the sake of the story. Nothing they do here has anything to do with their creator's stories. Nothing.

Thank you very kindly for taking the time to read this. Most of the time I just skip it. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2:**

**Introductions Part II**

It took several hours for things to settle down. Several. The Campione King of Steel was _insistent _on awaking Rin to fortify the Boundary Fields around the house. However, (due to the fear of facing her wrath) King Apeiron and the Ash of Miracles agreed they were capable of doing such with the guidance of the Campione. Apeiron claimed he had dealings with Divine Spirits and knew of their influence against prana and the Ash of Miracles said he knew how to craft Boundary Fields better than this world's Rin.

But it was Archer who said it was pointless. If a god could force them against using Rule Breaker, what would the point of building a manmade wall to try and stop them?

"Even gods have difficulty with the most complex of Boundary Fields," stated the God Slayer. "One Divine Ancestor attempted to sneak into my home with a Presence Concealment spell that would have made an Assassin proud. However, I was able to track every step she took with some of the Bounded Fields she couldn't detect. We might not be able to stop them, but at the least we can be warned."

Archer said nothing after that. He went into astral form and they felt him leave the house. They didn't ask where he was going but said nothing as they made sure he remained within the land of the Tohsaka manor.

Further development was spent on explaining _everything_ to the Knight of the Round while those three went to work. Every microscopic detail. Even the King of Swords, with some reluctance, told how he had a threesome with Rin and Saber under the _worst _circumstances possible. More time was wasted trying to explain, in excruciating detail, why a Prana Exchange Ritual with _King Arthur_ was needed. The Knight just couldn't get over the hurdle of understanding why his King was doing such… things with this version of him.

Meanwhile, the Campione had returned from the kitchen holding a jar of… something black and squirming inside. His posture was slightly slumped and his face was still a little wet having rinsed it from the faucet. He handed it to the vampire, "I don't suppose you'd be able to incorporate this into the protections, could you?"

The Ancestor took the jar with some hesitance. He didn't need his Perfect Eyes to recognize the qualities of the thing inside. It was a black centipede grown much too large to properly fit inside and so had to coil around itself like a snake. Its jaw was a large four-bladed pincer not unlike the hunters of the Predator movie/comic series. Despite its appearance, it was not a living creature. It was a manifestation of pure 'wishes' polluted by hate and malice.

A minor incarnation of Angra Mainyu.

If he wanted a curse placed onto the Bounded Field, he would have traced his Mystic Codes Maiya, Natalia, or Kiritsugu and then Alter them. But then he'd reveal their properties to everyone— Lord knows how they would react to that. This… was a good second option.

"I believe I can manage something," the vampire finally said. "I think if I placed this as a focal point on the roof or somewhere hidden within the house and plant several other beacons around the land to conduct it, then yes, this will be a good fortification. If not, then this will hinder anyone even with A-Rank Magic Resistance."

He took in a deep breath of air and began to access his Od. His circuits 'groaned' against him as he was low from his battle against the Apostle prior to his summoning— something King Apeiron noticed. "Trace… On…"

They, as well as those seated not too far away at the coffee table, observed as he Projected a weapon most had already recorded. However, to both their curiosity and awe, the sword in question was not what they had expected it to be. The blade brought forth was the sword Odin had left in the tree for the hero Sigmund to pull, Gram. Though it was 'Gram', it was in a completely different appearance than what rested inside their Reality Marble.

This Gram had taken the form of a pike, losing its flat surface and edge altogether. And at the center was a gap just big enough for the jar of curses to fit snuggly, which the Ash of Miracles did. They admired his work for he had used Alteration _before_ the Noble Phantasm was brought out of Unlimited Blade Works.

He gave a heavy sigh as he felt the fatigue grow a small margin. "At best, we'd have a week and a half before Gaia fully rejects this. Now… I'm going to go find a place to put this and then start working on those conductors…"

He headed up the stairs, muttering and debating to himself where the best place was to put Gram. As this happened, King Apeiron watched the vampire with a grimace. He excused himself a moment later and went into a kitchen— after asking where the Campione found the jar.

The King of Steel went to join the King of Swords in explaining everything regarding the Grail War. Though the King of Swords had a good deal of information, the Eighth Campione had just that much information _and more_. But even he was more unenthusiastic about the finer details in certain situations (he avoided eye contact with the blue Shirou when covering the memories of having intercourse with Saber and Rin together and separately). He revealed to them in the War he had lost his arm against the Shadow and had Archer implant one of his before fading from existence. When becoming a Campione, the arm became a true part of him and his body had been healed of any damage it had brought him, both physically and mentally. As such, all of the memories of Archer were his— and Archer had memories of two other alternative Grail Wars.

He also told them because of Archer's influence, he was incapable of casting Unlimited Blade Works into the real world.

In any case, he sat there with them and told the entire story of all his memories— both his and Archer's. Though each 'route' was different and situations were sent in a diverse direction, the Grail War was always the same. The orphans under the church. Gilgamesh. The Masters. Angra Mainyu. Everything. It took several hours and the patience of all of them to go over the details as well as answering questions when possible.

*scene*

The Ash of Miracles was starting to feel the hunger as he stabbed his twelfth 'stake' into the soft earth. Projecting more than one Gram was unneeded. What he had Traced instead was a Mystic Code Sirius-jiji had experimented with for years. It had always been a side project since his early fame, and even to this day he had never completed it. Even Shirou had difficulty helping him. The Mystic Code was nameless; a blade crafted out of silver, nickel, some titanium, and lots of mercury inside its shell. The idea was to craft the ultimate anti-magic shield— capable of negating any spell thrown at it. Against physical blows it would shatter without Reinforcement. And substituting the metals or altering the smithing method forced Sirius to start from scratch. Silver and mercury were the best materials in terms of magic defense, but, again, did nothing against D-Rank and above physical blows.

Shirou found a different use for it. Even as a sword, its use in combat was hardly notable. He had Altered them as arrows to pierce Bounded Fields and kill his target many times. This was great against Sealing Designates and Apostles who were arrogant to believe nothing could get through their magic defenses. Yet, there were nearly ten times those who were smart enough to not _completely _rely on magic. A brick wall could be blown apart with the arrow, but anything stronger than that made it nearly useless even with Reinforcement.

The main use he found for it was as a catalyst of sorts. Sirius had made a blade version of his Mystic Code just for Shirou, as always. As he had spent a great deal of time trying to find the right Alteration to have one of his swords become a cornerstone of his crafty barriers, he had not succeeded until Sirius showed him this. The old man had hid it under the floor of his workshop and had forgotten about it since he hadn't a breakthrough with it in ages. Shirou still couldn't add a property of 'fire' to his Bounded Fields to his dismay, but he was happy with this.

Fifty feet later, the vampire placed his next stake into the ground. Already he felt the tug of this one anchor to its previous one. Seconds later, he felt it link to the others surrounding the house as well as the ones hidden in every corner of the manor. But, as though it was a living thing with its own mind, it refused to activate stubbornly and link itself to Gram.

Like any good mechanic and second-rate Magus, Shirou had the best solution. He Reinforced his boot and kicked it, sending a surge of prana up its spine with a spell very similar to Prana Burst.

It hissed and the silver blade turned black, absorbing the curse of Angra Mainyu from the Gram hidden in the attic. It wasn't an intelligent sword like the King of Swords' Derflinger, but even Sirius had to admit this stubborn little shit had an attitude.

"Working hard?" came the voice of one of the Shirous behind him.

He was almost startled, but he had heard the soft treading on the grass. Without a doubt it was intentional as the Ancestor's Perfect Eyes told him how much control of their bodies each Shirou possessed. The only ones skilled in stealth as much as he was King Apeiron and the King of Swords.

"Rin's not paying me enough to do this," he joked as he started to head to his next point.

King Apeiron followed by his side. He pulled out one of the same jars and handed it to the Ash of Miracles. He almost groaned. He thought this one was going to ask him for adding another property to the Bounded Field he had yet to build. If so, then it would mean he would have to start from scratch and _Re-_Project the Mystic Codes. Instead, he almost began to sweat when he saw what was inside.

Blood.

"What is this?" he asked between an edge and worry.

"An apology," replied the crimson Shirou sincerely. "I'm sorry I had my doubts about your loyalties. I should have trusted you and respected your privacy. I can tell you're not a bad person— that you're just another one of… us." He laughed, "Sorry. I'm still having difficulty with this. I've never expected in my adventures I would meet so many of, well, me."

The Ash of Miracles on the other hand wasn't sure if he should be drinking the blood. King Apeiron had mentioned he knew the vampire was low on prana and had to drink soon. It was true— he had been gone for a few weeks tracking down that Apostle away from civilization. Exhausting himself twice on the hunt including now, his Apostle self was starting to crave the red liquid.

"Drink," said the crimson King. "I know your Ancestor title is 'Ash of Miracles', but that doesn't mean you have to look the part."

They looked at his skin. His normal tone was just as tan as Archer's. When summoned it had been slightly gray from the hunt. Now it was starting to look ashen gray.

"I'll remind you I hate doing this," the Ash of Miracles sighed in defeat and opened the jar. He examined the contents and swished it around akin to wine, delaying as much time as possible. "I also think this is just recycling blood."

"In theory it should settle your craving until we find more suitable sustenance," shrugged the other Shirou.

His response was to take a sip as he always did to get used to the taste. No matter how many times he drank, it always made him want to chuck it back up. Saber's dragon blood and Rider's divine blood made no difference in taste. His Apostle sense loved it, but his dominant human half rejected it.

"Mind if I ask about your procedure?" the crimson one gave a lax wave towards the distant pikes littering Rin's lawn. "I know making generators and a resonator for Bounded Fields enhance its abilities and fortifications, but is it needed to have so many?"

The vampire plugged his nose and chugged the rest of the blood. It wasn't much to begin with— more than enough to satisfy his craving as well as leaving his counterpart operating comfortably. A good hue of his complexion had returned.

But it didn't stop him from shivering as he felt the slime crawl down his throat.

He answered as soon as they came to the next point and he began to Trace another. His hands were out and eyes closed as he focused. "The weapons I am making are based on a Mystic Code the crafter Sirius McGenty I mentioned earlier made. They were originally supposed to be used for total magic defense, but by using Alteration I can turn itself into an antenna. By removing its 'negate' property it can channel spells without diluting it and by adding the 'resonance' property it can connect the spell to either me or its fellow traced Code."

"Adding and removing the properties of something through Alteration?" the other Shirou looked up at the stars as he thought it through. "I've… never thought of that."

At this time another stake was Projected and stabbed into the ground. It activated and linked with the others and Gram without a fuss for once. The two moved on.

He continued his explanation, "By doing this I have multiple fail-safe structures on a Bounded Field without having to worry about it collapsing on itself as well as a way to reinforce everything about it from its defense, its stability, and the value of effects. Rather than making multiple Fields to do one thing, I'm making _one Field_ to do _one thing_— only several leagues more efficient and potent than anything the Clocktower can produce. And should one of these Mystic Codes be destroyed, they're made to link to the nearest one to close the gap."

"And unless anyone at the Clocktower can make Codes like we do," added Apeiron, "you can make the strongest defenses around. But should the Noble Phantasm powering the Bounded Field be lost or corroded from Gaia…"

"It's not powering the barrier," replied the vampire. "I have yet to even build that. Basically all I'm doing is going to make a hollowed out Bounded Field and then stuffing it with whatever I want into it. For example, I could have Avalon at the center and if I follow what I'm doing now— with different Alterations anyways— I can have anyone inside have slightly increased regenerative properties… which would be a good idea after I'm done with this. For now, I'm placing each catalyst in strategic places over the Tohsaka land to resonate and absorb the curses that… what was it? Campione? Yes, the curses the Campione Shirou gave me. I'm only using Gram as a conductor to enhance its properties, making it an A-Ranked curse for sure."

"Thus anyone you want under the guise of the Bounded Field can be inflicted once they cross over," King Apeiron concluded with a smile. He was astonished with the idea. "Even a Servant will be inflicted."

The Ancestor nodded as he placed another stake. This one blinked between black and silver before he flicked it with another surge of prana. "Right. Even a Caster will have difficulty dismantling it. Believe it or not, but I found the inspiration to do this from the honeycombs of a beehive. I had been starving on one hunt and ate from the land from questionable berries to, well, honey. Rather than interweaving or overlapping walls and spells in a knitted pattern that make up a Bounded Field, I figured a honeycomb would be much more efficient. So far I haven't been wrong."

"So far," agreed his alternative self. "But we may be dealing with Servants in the Grail War, including a Caster. If this is the Fifth Grail War then we will be dealing with Medea the Witch and her Rule Breaker. Against every other type of Thaumaturgy we could use this to make the ultimate defense. But one stab from Rule Breaker will crush it like a rock to a glass window."

The Ash of Miracles said nothing but let his displeasure show. He was a bit more forceful when placing the next Code. And when it refused to activate he plucked it out and swung it against the nearby pavement. And then put it back in the exact spot.

He sighed, "Only fifteen more to go…"

*scene*

"So, after much discussion, we have finally come to a conclusion," said Troper as he plucked out the paper from the Stone Age typewriter. As he and the group inside had finished discussing the details of the true nature of the Grail War, the Tenth Apostle Ancestor and King Apeiron entered the living room. Troper waved to them to come to the table without looking in their direction.

He began to read from the list as soon as they were all gathered. "Our number one priority is the destruction of the Grail and getting rid of Angra Mainyu. And the following are priorities but not subject to order: the saving of Illya and Sakura; the deaths of Kotomine Kirei, King of Heroes Gilgamesh, Matou Zouken; the castration and/or death of Matou Shinji; stopping Counter Guardian EMIYA from killing this world's Emiya Shirou; and removing the stick betwixt Arturia's cheeks."

The Ash of Miracles snickered. However, everyone else other than the Campione glared daggers at Troper.

"We were all thinking it— I just said it," he said without looking up from the sheet. "Moving on. Most of us were going to stick around anyways for the War after using Rule Breaker so let's discuss how this will proceed. First manner of discussion: what are we going to about Rin?"

The King of Swords leaned forward from his chair and gave his opinion, "There's not much we can do at this point. Already we are compelled to follow whatever she says from her Command Seal. We simply can't ignore her. However," he added with a bit of a smile, "if we word things right we can convince her to let us do as we want."

"Therefore we could use the compulsion in our favor," concluded the Campione. "We would technically not ignoring her and instead doing exactly as she wishes."

King Apeiron interrupted, "It won't be a boost to anything since it's not that kind of Command. At best it'll allow us free reign without her holding us back."

The blue Shirou countered, "But if all of us have similar experiences with Rin, then we can all agree it is comparable to a boost. When have any of us ever been 'free' when she's around?"

The room as silent as nearly everyone stared off into space with grave looks in their eyes. Several traumatic memories were revisited.

"Uh…" the Arthurian Shirou looked around with a puzzled expression. As he had little to no experience with Rin, he had no idea what any of them could be thinking.

"Point taken," King Apeiron cleared his throat. "We'll have to watch what we say. If she asks, I think we should tell her what she needs to know and nothing more. Keep everything down to a minimum. We can tell her about us, but make sure to leave anything vital about the War out. I'm terrified about what would happen if she knew what we did."

"During my War I found it best to tell only half the truth, just enough to curb her curiosity while keeping my thoughts straight," said the Ash of Miracles. "But I never had to tell about the tainted Grail until things started to go south."

Thus the King of Swords finished, "In order to avoid any hurdles we will come across from her, let's go along with it for now and be her Servants. From what I've heard from the King of Steel, Rin in any alternative universe has always helped us destroy the Grail. But let's keep her out of the loop until the time is right."

The Knight of the Round Table clenched his fists, "But shouldn't we be going immediately to deal with all of these? Why are we going to let those orphans suffer longer as that… thing… drains them of their prana? And if the Grail is tainted as you say, shouldn't we go and destroy it since we all know where it's located?"

"Because we don't know if Gilgamesh will be there," replied King Apeiron. "In my War that was one of the things Saber and I did. We couldn't save them, so we destroyed the church. But both Kotomine and Gilgamesh survived. At worst it will have Gilgamesh against all of us once the deed is done. And destroying the Greater Grail and killing Angra Mainyu is out of the question right now. The Greater Grail is what allows this ritual to take place. I don't know if it's what's keeping us here, but on the chance that it is I don't want it removed from the board before checking everything else off that list Troper has."

Troper meanwhile said nothing on account he was wrestling with the typewriter. Literally.

No one paid him any mind.

"I also believe after seeing so many 'Fakers' he will be inclined to take us seriously and rid us with his ultimate Noble Phantasm," said the King of Steel.

"But a direct confrontation is not impossible," returned King Apeiron. "My Escalvatine is nearly on par with his _Enuma Elish_. He might take us seriously enough to use it, but he is still arrogant to believe its minimum power is strong enough to wipe us clear. If it comes to it, I can deflect it with my sword and someone else takes him while he's in shock.

"However, I still say it's unwise to get his attention just yet. We should wait and gather information before making a move. So, I vote on holding off destroying the church until then."

Many grimaced and the knight gritted his teeth, but they all accepted his logic.

"The next matter will be what to do with Archer," said the King of Swords. "He'd be useful as an ally, but I'd be too worried about him stabbing one of us in the back or killing this world's Shirou."

"Kill him," said the vampire without hesitation. "Rin's real Servant or not, he's too much of a liability to keep around. I concur with being too worried with him around. And… terrible things happened in my War because of him. I'm not going to take any chances with him around."

"Or," Troper was the one to voice out as he finished packing the contents of his first-aid kit. Many bandages and wrappings coated his arms and face. "We could go back to the topic of Rin's Command. We can't ignore her, thus if we can get her to say the words 'Archer, don't kill Shirou'—" he quoted in her _exact _voice, "—he can't disobey her. The Command is just specific enough for it to work. Plus, thanks to that _other _Command, none of us can use Rule Breaker on ourselves or the other. Having him betray us is slimmed down to barely 'not possible'."

"But what would be the point in keeping him alive?" questioned the Ash of Miracles. "There are six of us either just as strong or more refined than he is. Why do we need him?"

"Because he is a Counter Guardian," concluded Troper with a semi-serious face (he still had his goofball smile). "Besides, thanks to my special Reality Marble, the Unlimited Trope Works, I can stamp so many Command Seals on him he won't be able to _breathe _without my permission."

He cackled, "When I visited the Emiya Clan one day I found they had summoned Gilgamesh of all people and had done exactly what I said. He became that Shirou's kid's personal _bitch— _I mean, nanny."

"E-Emiya _Clan_?" questioned some.

"Kids?!" while the others flipped.

Troper just waved it off as though it wasn't important. "Getting back on topic, we have our other primary concern. What are we going to do about the Divine Spirit giving us Commands?"

"Nothing right now," answered the God Slayer. Everyone in the room blinked and turned their way towards him. Surely one who had slain a few gods could have had a solution. "Unless we can find the location of where the god is residing, if we manage to run into it, or if he or she comes to us there is nothing we can do."

He turned towards the Dead Apostle, "Speaking of which, how's that barrier coming along?"

To which he replied, "I'm having the beacons resonating with the curse inside Gram. It'll take almost a day to be fully in-tuned with it. Until then, I can't actually build the Bounded Field. I will, however, require your assistance to make sure it can withstand something on par to a Divine Spirit."

"Understood," nodded the Campione.

The remaining hours were spent on going over the details of the War listed on Troper's page. Many solutions were found on how to deal with Zouken and Shinji— all very colorful and in great, gory detail— as well as saving Sakura and purging the worms from her body. There was much difficulty about what to do in regards to Illya, however. Those who had succeeded weren't in possession of the resources used and those who couldn't have succeeded were silent. An idea of bombarding the Einzbern fortress in Germany and stealing the head's Crest came up and was put on the side for future development.

There were many mixed feelings in regards on what to do with Saber. It was a highly sensitive topic to most and was left open to talk about at a different time.

They finished just half an hour before dawn.

The King of Steel yawned and stretched his arms, "Well, it's the morning. I guess it's time to start making breakfast."

"Right," came four other voices as all but Troper stood simultaneously.

Those standing stared at each other. Their smiles were friendly, surely, but their eyes glistened with killing intent.

"It's been a long night and I'm sure everyone's tired," started the Campione. "Why don't I just cook us a meal to get us all relaxed and—"

"No, no," the King of Swords patted his counterpart's shoulder. "I couldn't have explained things properly without your knowledge. Please, let me take care of the cooking."

"Oh but I insist instead," said the Ash of Miracles. "You both look exhausted. Let me do all the hard back-breaking work."

"But you must be just as tired," said King Apeiron. "I know I didn't give you enough blood to vitalize yourself fully. And with the sun coming up with the kitchen window facing that way I think it would be best if I go in there."

"Oi," a tick mark surfaced from the Knight of the Round. "I haven't been in a kitchen in the entirety I was in the past. And those times I could cook was at a campfire with game and no spices. I think it should be fair if I cook."

"Get in line," said the King of Swords. "All I had to work with was an oil-lit stove that I had to refuel after each meal. That's some renaissance technology. I haven't used a gas-burner in _five years._"

"Oh we're going on about years now, are we?" the vampire's smile turned dark. "Rin and Sakura took most of the cooking duties at my house. And if that's not bad, even Saber and Rider took up the hobby. I haven't been in a kitchen in _decades_! _DECADES!_ I need this!"

"Then you're all too rusty to cook a suitable meal for our Master," said King Apeiron. "Rin is irritated since going to bed and I have no doubt she'll still be when she comes down here to find that we _still _haven't done what she ordered. Even with all of us, there is no way we can clear this up in only half an hour. So, to calm her down to a manageable level, _I _am going to cook her a breakfast suitable for the situation. While all of you have been out of the kitchen, I have been happily in mine for _decades_. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

He turned and started to head towards the kitchen.

"No!" they all cried and tackled him to the ground. From there a tussle was made, more furniture was ruined, things were flown, Projected weapons were made, and more blood was shed.

Troper, meanwhile, sat back with his legs crossed, fiddling with his thumbs as he watched events play out. He had no interest in getting involved. Why? Because he planned on taking out the victor when they were weak and wounded. Thus, the kitchen shall be his.

The King of Steel, with several splinters of wood sticking out of limbs and a Dirk sticking out of his shoulder, crawled out of the battle as he leaned against the wall. He gritted his teeth as he accepted his defeat. Even with Reinforcement and _Dragon Slaying Hero_ activated he didn't stand a chance against a free-for-all with his other selves. Nothing save for _Armor of the Champion_ could protect him completely, and he wasn't willing to use it so soon. The King of Swords was much faster than he was when he drew Derflinger for some reason. Sir Emiya the knight was just as fast and somehow stronger than him. The Ash of Miracles had some _crazy_ near-instant regenerative abilities. And King Apeiron could probably take them all on at once.

But the God Slayer refused to go down just yet. With his last breath, he called upon the Authority _Rule of the Underworld._ "If I can't cook in a kitchen THEN NO ONE CAN!"

*scene*

Tohsaka Rin had dreamed of a fire that night. A fire beyond any description she knew possible. Bodies burned, flesh was mutilated, people screamed— it was hell on earth. She recognized it as the Fuyuki City Fire from ten years ago. She knew hundreds of people died from it, but she could never comprehend how terrible the event truly was until this dream. This dream, to which she understood wasn't hers to begin with, was a horrific recalling of someone who had experienced it.

A boy. A boy no older than six or seven. A boy walking through the flames and smoke consuming all of those around him. A boy who was slowly dying from the heat, from the suffocation, from his insides screaming at him to help someone. Rin watched as this child marched on through the street, climbing over wreckage, combing over corpses, treading over embers of wood and flesh alike.

She watched as he forced himself to keep moving at any cost. _At any cost_. Fragments of his soul were being chipped away with each step. When he was about to collapse, he surrendered another piece of himself, as though it were physical weight, and continued to march on. Bit by bit, step by step, he marched on, slowly losing himself until madness remained. When it wasn't enough, the boy gave up his cognitive thought, his emotions, his love, his joy, his rage, his despair. Until he gave up the madness that was pushing him to go forward.

He was a hollow husk. No better than those corpses blazing.

Without anything to fuel him to go further, he collapsed. With nothing, not even the primal instinct to survive and hope, the boy looked up at the sky. He reached for it, as though through this emptiness understood all the mysteries that had lain beyond the mortal understanding. Pure, undiluted innocence. Neither good nor bad existed in his mind.

Only acceptance. This was to be his end.

But as his hand was falling to death's embrace, someone else had captured it instead. A man. A man had found the boy. Tears streaked down his face and a smile blazed brighter than the flames. He repeated over and over about how he found someone. How he had saved someone.

Just one.

But the boy, void of anything of his former self, studied the man— absorbing everything about him. He recognized the joy of the man but found he could not emulate it. Certain conditions had to be met first. And so the boy wondered… how could he ever feel such joy as the man?

To find the answer, the boy willed himself to live just a little longer.

That was when Rin woke up. The dream— and she called it that _loosely— _shook her. She could feel the flames eat at her skin, at how the air was choking her and burning her lungs with each breath, and she could feel the woe and misery of every innocent burning to their deaths. She didn't know what had been worse— those people or the boy who sold his soul to survive.

The news and memorial services never specified how graphic it truly was.

Normally Rin was not a morning person. And after having exhausted herself in the Servant Summoning ritual hardly five hours ago, she should be twice the zombie getting out of bed than usual. Yet, because of that dream, she was wide awake and unwilling the chance of slumber so soon. She threw over the sheets and went to prepare herself for the day.

A knock came at her door.

She groaned, "Just a minute."

That's right. She had summoned her Servants— with great emphasis on the plural. Supposedly, six of the Fake Janitors were still alive and could not take on their astral forms as a normal Servant should be able to. Or, just maybe, the only Heroic Spirit, the Archer, had come upstairs to greet her after sensing her wake up and had knocked just to be polite.

She donned a robe and announced, "You can come in now."

Expecting one of the Shirous to enter, Rin was thrown off-guard when a middle-aged Japanese woman in a formal maid outfit came in with a tray of morning refreshments.

Rin charged a Gandr at her index finger and pointed it at the unknown lady. "W-Who are you?"

The maid placed the tray calmly at one of Rin's dresser, turned, and gave a light bow of respect. "Good morning, Tohsaka-sama." Her tone was ever so polite and professional it almost made Rin drop her guard. Almost. "I am Suzuki Asuka— I am a vassal of King Emiya and have been requested to take up the responsibility of being the housemaid of this establishment. I have come personally this morning to properly ask for your permission rather than impose myself and Shirou-sama."

Rin, however, wasn't reacting as she should have. She should be asking at least one important question— particularly how this woman got past her Bounded Field without her knowing— but was lost instead on something this Asuka character mentioned.

"_King _Emiya?" her left brow twitched.

"I am but a mere servant of Shirou-sama's," replied the maid. "I have been instructed to tell you any and all questions pertaining to his kingship should be directed towards him. However, I may indulge you in the knowledge of my responsibilities; such as the cleaning of the household, the cooking, laundry, the management of proper behavior, and any such services you might require on hand."

"Management of proper behavior?" Rin asked. The way Asuka said that… it sounded like she had already enforced this onto her house. But… how…?

Asuka did not answer and began to pour the tea she brought up. "I hope this morning brew is to your liking, Tohsaka-sama. Please enjoy it while I return to the kitchen. Breakfast shall be ready in twenty minutes. If there is anything you need of me simply knock on the door three times— Shirou-sama and… Shirou…-san have used their magic to trigger a notification."

Used. Their. _Magic._

As soon as Rin saw the _real _Emiya Shirou at school she was going to blast him a few times with a Gandr. She was so upset she couldn't even tell the maid she didn't eat breakfast.

With nothing else to say, the maid Asuka excused herself with another light bow. With the grace of a Tohsaka heiress, Rin shut the door in a calm and quiet manner. She did not break from this grace as she picked up the warm porcelain cup (after using a spell to make sure it wasn't poisoned) and embraced its soothing scent. A sip was taken without a slurp and placed back down without a sound.

For the remainder of the time, she attended her morning necessities without making a noise. No step could be heard, no clatter of appliances or toiletries when used, nor a swish or sway when changing clothes. It was as though her bedroom was recognized by Gaia as being 'soundless'.

Let it be known Tsunami Tohsaka was brewing.

Speaking of brewing— before Rin exited her room, she decided to pour herself another cup and bring it with her. No point in spoiling good tea now was there?

*scene*

Archer had decided to return to the manor at just the right time. Every fiber of his being had been screaming at him to stay as far away from his other selves as much as possible, but he could not ignore his Master in the process. He had sensed her wake up and decided it would have been best to greet her. Though he did not know why just yet, those other 'Emiya Shirou' radiated strong killing intent towards him, even if they hid it well with their diverse (yet annoyingly similar) personalities. Likewise, Archer loathed being around them for more reasons he could not recall. It didn't take a genius to figure out he was another 'Emiya Shirou' but he could not recall why he hated his other selves so much. Nonetheless, they knew something about him— something strong enough to warrant his death.

Staying away was a wise decision.

But when he came into the manor he found a sight even he had to laugh at. _All _of his other selves were sitting seiza style with their heads bowed in a straight line. All of them were covered in bruises and untreated wounds except the idiot wearing sunglasses indoors who was the only one with bandages.

Across of them, staring down like a wrathful goddess ready to smite them all was their Master. She was as poised and proper as a true Magus should be, but her eyes were burning with such a rage beyond measure. When she took a sip of her tea, she looked to be in a good mood as though the morning could not bother her in any way. She smiled— a Cheshire grin so wide and twisted Archer thought he should go back outside instead. Who wouldn't? Surrounding all of them was a room damaged beyond repair.

There was no longer just one hole, but three. The couch was split in two, the coffee table had been shattered into dozens of pieces, and there was blood _everywhere._

The show was too good to pass up.

"Which one of you is _King _Emiya?" she asked in a sing-song tune.

Fingers immediately shot towards the King of Steel. There was no form of companionship when pressured by the Tohsaka Rin.

The Campione was silent as he broke out in heavy cold sweat awaiting his judgment.

"Would you kindly explain to me who this Suzuki Asuka is, Emiya-_kun_?" Rin's voice was soft and beautiful, but filled with such cold steel her words hurt to hear.

Archer scowled in disappointment. He was expecting her to kill one of them for doing the exact opposite of what she ordered last night. Well, it wasn't an order as it was more of a suggestion. Still, they screwed everything up but, again, Rin chose to ask about the stranger in the kitchen first.

'_Is she delusional or is she just building up tension for what's to come?'_

The God Slayer gave a nervous laugh as his sweating increased. "A-Asuka-san is a servant of mine I hired not too long ago. See, all of us were debating who would take up the kitchen duties, so, to be fair, I brought Asuka-san here—" he stopped himself from saying anything else.

"Go on," Rin urged him to continue. Her brow was twitching once more. "How did you get her through my Bounded Field?"

Compelled against his will, the King of Steel was being forced to explain. Archer could almost hear the grinding of the gears in his head as well as seeing the signs of searching in desperation for a window of opportunity. "Well… you see…"

But that King of Swords spoke in his stead, "Asuka-san was—"

Without even bothering to look in his direction, Rin fired a black orb from her fingertip and struck the blue-clad 'King' between the eyes. He was thrown onto his back.

"Brimir's balls!" cried his sword. "Oi, Partner! You alright?!"

"Argh," groaned the fallen Shirou. "Forgot how bad it—" but was forcibly cut off when Rin hammered a few more of her spells his way. He upchucked and laid there in his own vomit.

Rin's smile did not falter. Rather, it seemed to have widened as she watched her victim squirm. "I wasn't talking to you. Now, Emiya-kun, please answer my question."

'_Or else' _was heard by everyone.

The self-proclaimed God Slayer began to lose his complexion as the blood drained from his face. He no longer looked away to find some diversion or misleading answer. Here was a boy on a rowboat in the middle of the ocean facing the full wrath of a storm.

"I-I brought her here with something called an Authority. It's kinda like magic but not exactly. The Authority is called _Rule of the Underworld _and it allows me to resurrect the dead."

Archer cocked a brow. This one had the ability to raise the dead? Not just reanimating them but a full-on Incarnation with a body and soul? Something like that was on par to the Third Magic— the very thing that called Heroic Spirits as Servants. Archer had listened when the Campione said he inherited the abilities of gods he killed, but to have an actual ability to grant such a miracle?

If he could bring back the dead as an Incarnate being, did that include those placed on the Throne as well? He'd have to keep his eyes on this one.

Rin, having missed their stories last night, did not believe such words and fired a single shot at the God Slayer. She blinked once as the orb made contact with his skin and just sizzled out— even the force of the blow died before damage could be done. Her smile thinned just noticeably as she fired a few more. The same results happened.

The Tohsaka heiress did not lose her smile nor her grace, even when she put her tea down to roll up her sleeve. The florescent seals of the Tohsaka Crest came to life at her call. The King of Steel lifted his hands, scooted back, and tried to plead with her to calm down, which, sadly, fell on deaf ears. With its amplified power to her circuits, she fired a burst of black orbs twice as fast and twice as dark as before. Dust and debris flew everywhere as some of the shots completely missed its target. The other Shirous dove out of the way.

Unfortunately, they could not touch the God Slayer.

Rin was not happy. Not one bit. Her smile was gone, replaced by a thin line and a furrowed brow twitching. Even by doing nothing, these alternatives of Archer were making the storm that much worse. On one hand, Archer was impressed the King of Steel had a high level of Magic Resistance. On the other… it did nothing to quell Rin's rage.

The sound of the maid clearing her throat brought everyone to attention. "Tohsaka-sama, forgive me for intruding in your duties as the mistress of this house, but breakfast is served and it will get cold if you don't come and eat."

Rin stared at Asuka for a moment, debating if she should do as suggested or continue to take her frustration out of the Kaleido-Shirous.

The low grumble of her stomach (that everyone pretended to not hear else start everything all over again) convinced her. Besides, it wouldn't do well if she continued and damaged her house even further with her magic.

She gave one glare at everyone, including Archer, and gave one order. "Fix. This. **Now.**"

The previous order of 'stop ignoring her' pulsed in the back of his mind and no doubt the others. Even when he clearly had nothing to do with this mess he was still forced to listen to her. As she followed the maid to the dining room the pressure collapsed. A few of the idiots took a deep gasp of air, some laughed nervously, and the King of Swords groaned in his unconsciousness. The King of Steel went on his knees and started heaving— not from Rin's curse, but from nerves.

The compulsion tugged once more, most likely coming from Rin when she wasn't hearing anything happening. Archer cursed his shit-tastic level of Luck and began gathering the mess into a heap to be thrown out.

He was debating whether it was worth challenging all of them together or continue to avoid them. Maybe he'd be lucky and take a few out with him.

*scene*

Rin was in a significantly better mood after breakfast. Her ire had yet to completely disappear, but she was much more tolerant about her questionable Servants. The servant to _King _Emiya (it still maddened her how this simpleton could possibly be a Root be Damned KING) was an exceptional chef. Even Rin had to acknowledge her skill in the kitchen was better than hers. The meal was just a simple combination of fish, rice, and miso soup. Yet, strangely, Rin almost gave into the temptation of having second helpings. Almost.

When entering the living room, she was glad to find out they had actually listened to her finally and were in the process of cleaning their mess. Archer and King Emiya were piling things in a heap while the crimson-clad Shirou was hefting it into a trashcan and carrying it outside to be dumped and repeated the process. The one clad in knight armor and the not-so-gray-anymore Shirou were busy scrubbing the blood off the walls. The dumbass still wearing the sunglasses was shampooing the carpet and picking up what small bits and pieces the others missed.

The one with the talking sword was still twitching in the corner. At least they cleaned up his bile.

"Archer."

The only assured Servant turned towards her. "Yes?"

"Can you go into your astral form?"

"If you're asking if it's possible then yes, I can."

"Good." Finally. _Some _good news from this catastrophe. "You'll be coming with me to school while _they _stay here and finish." Her attention went to the others, "Clean this up, fix everything as it was before, and stay put. When I get back we're going to have a very long talk."

"Ah, Rin," the gray(ish) Shirou stopped scrubbing to inquire something from her. "We were wondering if we finish early could we go out to scout—"

"No," she denied it immediately. It was only half because she was still semi-pissed at them. The other half however… "The Emiya Shirou here is recognizable by everyone at school. I wouldn't doubt from his personality of helping everyone at impulse he is known just as much around the city. Having more than one Shirou walking around is a bad idea."

"However," he pressed on, "I as well as a few others should look completely different from the Shirou of this world." She caught the '_this world'_ comment. "If we can blend in or hide ourselves well enough, will you allow us to scout the city? There's a possibility we can also find the locations of other Masters."

She thought about it. She knew nothing about her supposed Servants other than they were somehow connected to Emiya Shirou. They claimed they weren't Heroic Spirits yet some of them were leaking more mana than some of Rin's jewels. One had a talking sword and another had Magic Resistance capable of neutralizing her Fin shots. The one talking to her had Perfect Eyes he could turn on and off at will. They were all capable of ruining her living room at cataclysmic levels with the subtlety to not wake her. She didn't know how they could do these things and she didn't want them running around Fuyuki. What if they run into other Servants?

"Fine," she waved it off against her better judgment. "If you can clean everything and fix the mess you made then you can go explore. But if you do I expect you to be back before sundown. Am I clear?"

He gave her a warm smile, "Thank you Rin. I appreciate it."

She turned and headed towards the door before she could react. That smile… somehow it pissed her off to a new level. She wanted to shoot him. But it didn't upset her the same way she found their habits and gestures annoying. That smile… it made her blush and she didn't know why.

She slammed the door and continued to march away, ignoring the sounds behind her that resembled power tools. Stopping to contemplate how they pulled those out of seemingly nowhere when Rin would never have them to begin with would have driven her further into insanity. Not even a full day and she was ready to strangle them all.

She did stop when she spotted the black metal rod sticking out of the grass beside her pathway. Prana was coursing through it and echoing a light hum barely audible. Looking around, she spotted more of these _littering _in every direction.

"Archer," her voice was monotone.

The Servant following her in his spiritual form said nothing nor gave any suggestion he was paying attention to her. However, the Master/Servant bond— the _only _bond she could feel— told her his eyes were on her.

"What is this?"

_"I've no idea," _the Archer shrugged. _"While you were asleep, the Dead Apostle, the God Slayer, and the idiot who sold his soul to the _Fae _were talking about building a Boundary Field to fend off some god. I'm guessing these have something to do with it."_

She didn't know at what point to ask. Dead Apostle? God Slayer? Contractor to the Fae? That they were messing with _her _Bounded Fields? Or the mentioning of a god?

"Tell me everything," she ordered.

*Scene*

Shirou, the Eighth Campione, was getting help from the knight remove anything unsalvageable from the room since Archer left. The two of them were quiet. He wanted to run to Asuka and ask her how Illya and everyone else under his care were doing. It had been only a few hours but Illya was probably running around like a chicken without her head. She was nowhere near incompetent, but she had a tendency to overreact when something happens to him— just as he had to admit would if it was her. The compulsion of the Command was keeping him from doing such, however. He didn't mind it that much. Having something to do and keep his hands busy was nice for once. He hardly was allowed to clean in his own house.

The knight of the Round Table didn't find it as relaxing. Shirou watched as his other self pause every now and then. And the sighing. Oh the sighing. Something was on his mind and hindering him from cleaning up. Shirou didn't understand. If he was another _Shirou _then cooking, cleaning, and maintenance work was euphoric to the mind. But, he was another _alternative_ just like the others. Maybe he didn't have the same joys as he did?

"Why don't you take a break?" he asked the knight. "I can take care of the rest. There's not much left."

Granted it will take twice as long now and he wanted to talk to Asuka as soon as possible, but it looked like the knight needed his privacy more.

"Is it really that obvious?" questioned the Arthurian. He grimaced and shook his head, "I can still keep working. What happened here was a part of my fault; I need to take the responsibility of helping with the repairs."

"Don't worry about it," Shirou went over and took a hold of the metal trashcan he was using. "It's almost done anyways. You have a lot on your mind and could use the time to think things over. I'd do it now before later when Rin really puts us to work as her Servants."

"That's what I'm…" the knight began but let his voice die down. His head was bowed as something else distracted him— something Shirou could not follow. Ever since he, the King of Swords, and Troper finished going over their experiences in the War with this one, the knight had a loss in morality. As a sworn knight to Arturia Pendragon and a knight of Camelot, this Shirou had nearly drowned in the information about what became of his comrades and king. Saber's wish and Lancelot becoming a Berserker in the Fourth War especially struck deep.

"Y…Yeah… If you don't mind…"

"Go ahead," Shirou smiled and patted his counterpart's shoulder. "I've got this covered."

With another word of thanks, the knight of the Round Table walked out of the manor.

Now Shirou had a few things on his mind as well, though nowhere near crippling enough to make him stop working. Most of his thoughts were focused on the questions he wanted to ask Asuka. He also pondered on the depths of his Authorities. Gaia was rejecting the presence of Asuka, he could tell, and it was more strenuous to keep her as she is now. Not that it was too heavy, but the tug on his Od was noticeable much like strapping a few minor weights to his limbs. Normally, he could bring back ten zombie warriors with the amount of power required to bring a fully-fleshed servant. Now it was slightly more than double that amount.

He also sighed, realizing his Projections were back at their original costs thanks to Gaia's presence.

What he really wanted to wonder was how his other Authorities would work in this world. Other than a possible increase in prana cost would there be some other restrictions? The curse of Decay he gave the Ash of Miracles did cost more prana but had the same price when it came to the backlash of using such an Authority. The level of pain depending on the degree of the curse was the same. He wondered if it would last just as long as the sword— a week or so. Metals and jewels brought up by _Rule of the Underworld_ would not be rejected because they come directly from the earth itself. But would Gaia reject that part of the Authority and forbid them from surfacing?

Gaia could be a bitch sometimes, so maybe.

From his minor skirmish with the other Shirous, he was able to determine _Dragon Slaying Hero_ was fully accessible without restrictions. He wondered if it was so because of it was strongly affiliated with Steel, which went hand-in-hand with his Sword Element, which, therefore, was what made up his Reality Marble. Could Gaia not touch it because of that? Silly. Of course the World could. Gaia immediately saw Reality Marbles as something that did not belong and rejected its existence. Maybe he'd study in Rin's library about everything relating to Perseus to get a better grasp at the Authority.

He will have to wait to see if Snow would be affected by Gaia's laws. Since his battle with Mordred, the Pegasus had yet to rejuvenate and so Shirou could not call upon him just yet. He also wanted to wait on that as long as possible. Summoning Snow just to experiment on the influence of Gaia made him feel sick. It would be best to keep him in its legend unless Snow was absolutely needed.

_Armors of the Knight _and _Bloodstained Fields _will need to be tested. He knew what they could do but he wasn't aware of their full extent just since he hadn't used them so far. Since neither Authorities were the embodiment of living, intelligent, friendly creatures he didn't mind experimenting with them. He made a note to do so as soon as he could.

Before Shirou knew it, the large pile had been cleared. He had even gotten on his knees at some point to pick up the splinters and shards. Everything had been moved far away from the house to be burnt at a later time. Shirou didn't feel like he was lost in his mind for that long, but it was apparently long enough to lose track of time.

"Shirou-sama," Asuka approached him with a tray of several glasses of iced tea.

"Ah, Asuka-san, thank you," he smiled and took a glass. He didn't take a sip even as he watched her offer the refreshments to the others. The Ash of Miracles had been using a Projected Mystic Code which allowed him to carve into the wall. It spun shards of prana at a high velocity, giving it the look and sound of a power saw. His goal was to remove anything hazardous from the wall and place a Bounded Field to fill up the hole with solid prana and an illusion to have it match the appearance of the exterior and interior sides. He had given the explanation about how he successfully lowered the cost of using the Mystic Code as well as the theory of his Bounded Field to King Apeiron while said King was moving anything cut off into another pile.

Looks like Shirou had more stuff to haul.

Troper went off in search for a vacuum. Shirou wasn't sure if Rin even had one to begin with. Though she wasn't tech-savvy, Rin at least had _some _modern era technology. Like a television, for one. It was debatable if she had a vacuum because he was sure she had some spell on her that could clean her floors just as well. Then again, she probably wouldn't because if Shirou ever had such a spell she'd berate him on stepping all over the wonders of magic on something so _mundane._

Meanwhile, the King of Swords was still in the fetal position.

"Asuka-san," Shirou called his servant when she was done.

"Shirou-sama," the maid approached him again.

"What's been going on since I've been away? How is Illya?"

"That is a question I cannot answer well," she shook her head. Her reply made his brow furrow. "At some point when I removed you from the kitchen after the Feast of Kings and you were heading to your study, you disappeared. Illya-sama discerned your absence immediately. There was an… anomaly in the hallway. Yusuke-san, Kuhoutsuka-san, Kaida-san, and I couldn't tell what it is, but Illya-sama is able to see something. She was unable to describe what it was exactly, however."

He frowned. There was lingering residue from the summoning? It was both a good and bad thing. Good, because with enough time and patience Illya can use it to link the worlds together and either bring him back or come here herself. Bad, because there was a high chance she could _rip _something and bring that world, this world, and possibly every other world to an end.

Though they were working, the Shirous were also listening to the conversation.

"I'm sorry that I brought you here like this. I'd honestly wish if you were still there. You have a knack of keeping things in order."

"Indeed," she nodded sagely. The memory of her scolding them flashed through everyone's minds. Her Charisma must be beyond A-Rank. "However there is nothing that can be done until Illya-sama finds what is wrong. Perhaps with the History Compilation Committee she will find a way. I am grateful, My King, to be back in your services. The afterlife was… should I say? Boring. Retaking my profession is a wonderful change of pace."

Boring? Shirou blinked. He hadn't been gone no longer than, what, six-seven hours by now? Yusuke and Asuka should have had enough mana in them to remain in the living world for five hours tops without him. The way she spoke sounded like she had been away from the living too long— like an extended vacation from an occupation one loved.

"What do you mean?" he questioned with worry in his voice. "Suzuki-san, how long have I been gone?"

"That is what I mean when I said your question was something I could not answer well," she said. "Shirou-sama, the perspective of time in Heaven is different from the one on Earth. I cannot tell you how long I had been vacated in the realm of the dead. However, Yusuke-san was the first to leave the living five hours after you disappeared. Illya-sama fed me questionable and foul herbs from her workshop to keep me remaining for an additional day. I returned to the dead before she could finish brewing a potion 'to keep me bound for a week', Illya-sama said. In total, I had remained in the living realm for twenty-six hours since you vanished."

He gaped like a fish. Twenty-six hours?! That… that was ridiculous! Not to mention there was an even bigger gap of unknown time since Asuka had been in the land of the dead.

This put complications over their already complicated situation.

Shirou combed his fingers through his hair. "I… I see…"

"Shirou-sama," Asuka's eyes shifted slightly. No one would have noticed if they weren't looking directly at her like he was. Her head turned just enough to look at the others for a moment and then turn back to her King. "If it will not trouble you, I wish to ask you of your… situation."

He cupped his chin and thought of where to start. It was a fair request. He had vanished from thin air in his own home, caused his residents to panic, and then pulled her here to work for him without giving any explanations. She provided each and every task within the past few hours without question and with as much enthusiasm as she normally would. The entire time he had caught a few looks of worry and curiosity come his way even as she dutifully worked.

And so he told her everything he knew so far.


	3. Servant Lancer

_Gabriel Blessing: _thank you for **The King of Swords**

_Marcus Galen Sands: _thank you for **The King of Steel**

_James D. Fawkes: _thank you for **King Apeiron**

_Third_ Fang: thank you for **The Ash of Miracles / Second Magus Killer**

_TypeMoonFreak_: thank you for **Sir Emiya, Knight of the Round Table**

_SatireSwift: _thank you for **Troper**

**A message from the author!  
**

I feel frustrated. This chapter was supposed to be up about a good week ago. However, it's very hard to do that when you're incapacitated for three days straight with the flu. Technically I've been sick since last Tuesday and hadn't been right of mind since last Wednesday. It's now Monday evening, probably Tuesday morning by the time I finish this AN. So, I apologize for the wait.

Second, I'm kinda mad I have yet to have a decent fight scene. Chapter 3 and still no "SHIROU SMASH". I'm disappointed in myself. I remember when I couldn't go one chapter without having mindless violence. Now it's the other way around.

Regardless, I finally introduced a main Servant into this as well as a Master. So, I'm going to break this AN in half and leave the second half for after the story.

For now, enjoy~

* * *

**Chapter 3:**

**Servant Lancer  
**

"Emiya," Ryuudou Issei looked up from his lunch to ask something of his friend. "Have you ever judged someone before knowing anything about them?"

Emiya Shirou tilted his head and thought about the question. It was a strange one from all out of the blue. But it wasn't uncommon. From time to time, whenever the two ate together in the student council room, they talked about many obscure and philosophical things. Issei was a monk in training, after all. Every now and then his morals would be questioned. Though they were things only he could solve on his own, he asked Shirou's opinion every so often.

"I'm sure I have," replied the Fake Janitor. "What brought this up, Issei?"

The young man pressed his glasses with the tips of his fingers. "There is a… guest staying with us at the temple. He arrived on the weekend and has been staying since. He never leaves, but he does his share around, keeps to himself, and doesn't disturb any of the monks. He asks at almost every chance if there is anything he can help with almost as much as you do."

"So then… what's the problem?" Shirou couldn't understand where this was going. "He isn't rude or anything is he?"

Issei shook his head. "Far from it. He's just as stalwart as Kizuki-sensei. But there's just something… wrong with him. I asked you, Emiya, because I can't shake this feeling off of me. Around him I feel like… like…" Issei cupped his hands as he thought of a way to express the feeling in his gut.

"Like he's dangerous?" Shirou inquired.

Issei shook his head again. "No, nothing like that. He shows as much discipline as some of the older monks. The other day he even gave advice to my father. I feel like the man is… a walking stain on humanity. Yes, that is as best as I could put it."

"Harsh," winced Shirou. "Issei, don't you think that's a little rough?"

"I know," Issei resumed with his lunch. "He has done nothing wrong as of yet. But if you ever meet this man, I'm sure you would be quick to judge as well. I've found even my father has been having this amount of difficulty as I have."

Shirou disagreed, "You know just as well as I do about Fuji-sensei's family heritage. Raiga-san and company look the part, but they aren't." Much, he said to himself. "Unless this man confesses to have committed a crime or you see him in the act, you shouldn't judge him. But, what is he doing there to begin with?"

Issei shrugged, "When I asked, my father only said he owed the man a huge favor from long ago. I don't know how long ago— he looks no older than twenty. So we're repaying him by letting him stay until his vacation days are up."

_'Who takes a vacation in Ryuudou temple?'_ thought Shirou. "I don't have much advice for you, Issei. Just let him be until he does do something wrong. But don't go looking for him to mess up either."

Issei nodded, "You're right. I have to remember my training. Thank you for reminding me."

They resumed their eating in silence until…

"Speaking of wolves in sheep clothing," Issei started the conversation again. "Emiya, have you done anything to get unwanted attention from Tohsaka?"

Shirou looked up after placing some more egg with rice into his mouth. "Tohsaka? No. Why?"

Issei put his chopsticks down. "She approached me early in the morning asking about you. When I eluded the question she pressed harder. Her words and gestures were friendly, but there was an unmistakable aura around her. It's not as evil as Cain-san, but well hidden behind her witch's personality."

Cain. Shirou knew the name from Judeo-Christian mythology but didn't think there was someone named that in this day and age. Still, it would be polite from now on to call him by his name instead of 'that man' if the topic ever came back up.

But instead Shirou asked about Tohsaka, "Was there something she wanted specifically?"

"She was just asking about you and where she could find you," Issei frowned. "I may have made a mistake in refusing to answer. I should have told her something to throw her off. I suspect she'll be asking around school now."

"Eh… I don't think so," Shirou retorted. "She is the School Idol. And I'm, well, me. If she started to ask everyone at school then it would spread rumors she and I have a thing."

Issei blinked and thought this over. "Yes. You're right, Emiya. Such rumors would have ruined her reputation."

Shirou almost felt Issei's words form into an arrow to pierce his heart.

*Scene*

Lancer sighed as she sat at the steps of Ryuudouji in her astral form. Three days since her summoning and not one day had been in her favor. First she had been summoned by _him _of all damnable people. Compared to _him, _she would have preferred an abusive alcoholic who violated her and her fellow Servants after drinking blood from orphans on his nightly stroll through town. Instead, the Sinner had, somehow, been chosen to obtain the Grail. Those of the Lord's Faith were immediately able of identifying him, and those who weren't converted to the religion were still aware he was a walking, breathing _sin_.

She already knew it wasn't her Savior's Grail, but a false one forged through witchcraft. She wanted nothing to do with it— and damn this War to the lowest ring of Hell. It would have been fitting for the Sinner to be chosen to chase after the False Grail if not for the reward in the end. One wish. Lord and Son Forbid what may happen should he— no, _it— _obtains the Grail.

The second of her problems was arriving from the Throne with _two others _hitch-hiking a ride. One who graciously follows her path into the Lord's Salvation, but the other condemns them for their faith. And there was a fourth Servant who appeared when the witchcraft was completed. One who did not come from the Throne. She came from elsewhere. But what Heroic Spirit did not exist in the Throne of Heroes?

_"Be glad my Liege made me a Heroic Spirit and not the Crimson Apostle that I am," _the fourth Servant had told them all. _"Types are forbidden in this game."_

Lancer could not understand what that meant. The False Grail gave her knowledge of _Dead _Apostles. But she had no clue what this _Crimson _Apostle could be. And this so-called Crimson Apostle clearly knew more than what she cared to give. When asked (repeatedly), she would ignore the question or, rarely, answer cryptically. It was to the point where they all gave up getting answers from her.

With nothing to do for three days, Lancer sat at the gates of the mountain's temple. She had been given permission to explore the city if she so desired, but decided against it. As a low-ranked centurion it would have been one of the first priorities to observe and study the battlefield and strategize from that. However, she lacked the enthusiasm both the empress and the _Dux Legionum _had. They wanted to participate for the glory of battle— to face and compare themselves to the legends of the world. But Lancer was the 'team leader', as declared by the Apostle, grudgingly she might add. And so, Lancer decided to sit and wait to see what happens.

Really, she just didn't want to fight to begin with.

It would seem her wishes of peace would not come to be.

*Scene*

Nostalgia hit the King of Swords as he climbed the steps leading to Ryuudou Temple. Of all the places he drew from the hat to explore he had to pick the last place he saw his Saber. He wondered if the others were having the same feelings. Troper, the Knight of the Round, and the King of Steel could not go out since they looked too much like this world's Shirou. The King of Steel said he had a way of being stealthy, but it wasn't as reliable in the middle of the day. The other three decided to scout the city with what little time they had anyways. It was a little after three and sundown will come in a few hours. The Command Seal was already tugging at him to listen to Rin's order.

It was decided this Shirou was to visit Ryuudou Temple, using the excuse he was a student from college to gather information for an assignment. He left Derflinger in the living room with a warm cup of tea; the sword had taken up a fancy of chatting with the God Slayer's undead maid. King Apeiron was to explore the area around Homurahara Academy and to ensure the Bounded Field Rider would have set up could be prevented or dismantled if already in progress of being built. The Ash of Miracles was sent to explore more of the residential area of Miyama Town. At first they wanted him to stay put because it was daytime and was weakened, but he insisted since half the party already could not go out.

However, if Shirou was being honest with himself, he couldn't trust the vampire. That version of himself was too… calm about the situation. Most of them had collective thoughts, but the Ash of Miracles seemed to be a little too precise in the planning. It was almost as if he knew in advance this would happen. Or if he was the collaborator behind it all. But perhaps Shirou was reading too much into this. Just because the vampire had the same casual, friendly, porcelain mask as the pope of Romalia didn't mean he was just as evil.

Shirou half expected Kojirou Sasaki to be seated at the top. He didn't know at what point in time Caster summoned him into the War. He had hoped he could have arrived here while Kizuki was at the school to meet with Caster alone. He would have preferred to talk to her regarding the Grail being contaminated instead of having to face her head-on. Perhaps she'd be willing to listen to reason and work with them. Improbable, but not impossible. Not that he didn't have anything in his Reality Marble to push her back, but avoiding a fight was in his interest.

Instead of either Caster or Assassin materialized a young woman just as tall as he was. At first he thought she was a man with her very shortly clipped golden hair and sharp, boyish features. She was wearing Roman soldier attire with leather and brass armor without a helm and a long red cape flourishing behind her. Though she was tall, she was lanky and just didn't have the proportions of a man. At best she could have passed as a ridiculously tall boy.

But it was the cut on the front of her leather vest that gave it away, revealing her cleavage. Nowhere near on par with Kirche von Zerbst, but still rather impressive.

Her head tilted towards her and Shirou found himself staring into milky pools of grayish-blue eyes. Her pupils were faded and had been of matching color to completely blend in. And though he was looking at her, and her attention was upon him, she could not stare directly at him.

She was blind.

"Servant of the False Grail War," her voice could have also passed on as a man's, as it was boastful and strong. "State your business. Be you friend or foe?"

So other Servants could tell he was one. That was good to know. Ever since being summoned he could not tell if he was a Servant of the War as well as any of his counterparts. Archer for sure gave off that aura of power most Servants radiated (albeit to a greatly lesser degree than Saber's). Having been identified as a Servant meant he really was bound by Rin. If the Command Seal didn't tell him then this surely did.

He kept his hands to his side as he stopped. Nearly eight meters of distance. With the powers of Gandalfr he could easily cross that distance in a second. But a Servant could do so just as fast— if it were one of the weaker ones. Someone as fast as Cu Chulainn or Medusa would laugh at how quick it would take to cover that little ground. Well, he doubted Rider would have _laughed _but that's not the point.

Shirou was already mapping out escape routes and advantage points with his mind's eye. Just because this Servant had the high ground did not mean she had dominance over the field. Once he figured out which Servant this was or was able to see even one of her Noble Phantasms he'll be able to identify her and further plan accordingly.

"I mean no harm," he said, not missing a second after she asked. "I wish to speak with your Master about the Holy Grail War. Will you allow me permission to enter or would you prefer to deliver a message?"

"I shall not endanger the life of my… _summoner _to an unknown Servant," she replied. Shirou stored away into his mind the way she called her Master. "Go and speak what it is you have. Depending on its value I shall bring it to _its _attention. But do not waste my time any further."

He hadn't planned on running into any Servants. Not that it was unaccounted for. When heading to the temple he was expecting to meet with Medea of Colchis, not this unknown Servant. Now he had to ponder if this woman was the Servant to Kizuki or one of the monks in the temple. Or was she the Servant Caster had summoned instead of Assassin?

Those thoughts came crashing down when someone strolled out of the gates to stand beside the Servant. "Lancer, do not be rude to our guest. He came all this way to tell us something important."

Emiya Shirou wanted to fall onto his knees and heave out the lunch he just had. The one standing beside the newly revealed Servant Lancer was just an ordinary man. A foreigner, but an ordinary man in every way. He was of fair height, dark tan skin, reddish metallic hair that brightly reflected the light, and dirt brown eyes. He wore jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt anyone could find at the thrift store. Everything about him was ordinary. His movements were disciplined and controlled, but he definitely wasn't a fighter. Perhaps an athlete or someone who simply liked to stay in shape. Even his speech was calm, reserved, and completely neutral of motives.

But his aura… The _thing _surrounding this man was the most intoxicating thing Shirou had ever seen. To say this man was cursed was an understatement. Something even mundane senses could perceive radiated off of his body that spoke of befouled nature. It was evil. Evil beyond measure. Evil beyond comprehension. Yet it felt so raw. So untamed. So uncontrollable.

So _primitive._

Just looking at this 'ordinary' man made Shirou take a step back— a step he almost missed before catching himself from falling several hundred steps. He had even broken out into sweat.

The man watched with bored eyes, with the patience of a man beyond his years. He looked Louise's age yet those eyes held such experience. It also said he had seen this reaction thousands, if not millions, of times before and had grown passed weary of it.

Lancer's disgust was obvious. She moved away from the man and even turned her head away from him when speaking. "This needn't concern you. Return to your quarters."

"It does concern me," he replied without a sign of negativity from her insulting behavior. "I am a Master of this War and if this Servant carries information vital to the event then it would be best if I heard it directly." His eyes returned to Shirou, "But first, I believe introductions are in order."

He gestured a hand over to Lancer, "This is my Servant of the class of Lancer." His hand fell to his side as he gave a polite bow. "I am Cain Adams, just another Master participating in this War."

Shirou watched _everything _about this man. His mannerisms were humble, if not a little dry. His movements were lax and rather slow. His eyes were dull, collective, and expressed extreme boredom. Shirou had noticed the piercing look— barely a fragment of a second short— Cain had given him. This man had studied and evaluated Shirou just the same way as Shirou did him. However, Cain had found nothing of interest just as Shirou had found nothing to label this man as a threat.

But first appearances meant nothing in situations like this.

Shirou returned the polite bow with one of his own. "Servant Archer. I'm afraid I've come here on my own so I cannot introduce my Master to you."

Cain gave the smallest nod; one Shirou would have missed if he had blinked. "I am a guest of this land and so I cannot offer you any hospitality. Please forgive me. For now, what was it you wanted to tell me?"

No matter how polite Cain appeared to be, the miasma surrounding him was making Shirou hate him. There was nothing wrong with him. Even after using Structural Grasping he could find nothing at fault. The man was a Magus with a fair amount of circuits and channeling a bit of prana to Lancer. He had no Crest as far as Shirou could tell. But what worried Shirou was even with Structural Grasping he could not tell what the curse was that shadowed over Cain.

He wasn't the best when it came to Spiritual Awareness anyways.

"The Grail is not what you think it is," replied Shirou.

"Of course not," scoffed Lancer. "Tis a blasphemous vessel crafted by devilry. Do not waste our time, Archer."

"I am aware of what it is," replied Cain in his monotone voice. However, after a second his expression shifted into that of wonder. Such a small shift most would have missed if not paying attention. "I see. Your words… you are also aware of its contents?"

"Contents?" Lancer's face moved towards her Master but still refusing to look at him.

Shirou wasn't expecting anyone to be aware of the presence of Angra Mainyu inside the Greater Grail. "How much do you know?"

"How much do you?" returned Cain.

Shirou smiled. There was something he found he could like about this man that his curse couldn't touch. The man was calculating and knew better than to reveal information to a potential threat. It was the same minor tactic Shirou would have used if on the receiving end. But Shirou was the one who was giving information anyways and so he complied with Cain.

"Since the end of the Third Grail War, the Grail has been contaminated. The Einzberns had used a loophole in the rules and summoned the Divine Spirit Angra Mainyu under the class of Avenger, replacing Berserker. However, Avenger was weak and had lost early in the War. His soul was sent to the Greater Grail, as all Servants go when defeated, and contaminated it. Since then, the summoning of Anti-Heroes has been made possible."

"And the fire from ten years ago was a product of the contents being spilt over from the Lesser Grail," finished Cain.

Shirou froze. He knew. This man knew everything about the Grail War and had elaborated without any form of affection.

No, Shirou had to stop himself. That curse on Cain couldn't let Shirou think straight. It made him want to _hate _the man. He had to think rationally. Did Cain find out before or after summoning his Servant? And regardless, what was he going to do with that information? Was he still going to participate despite knowing about the Greater Grail? Did he know what would happen if someone made a wish?

"What is this?" questioned Lancer. "What nonsense are you both spewing?"

Cain questioned Shirou instead. "What was the purpose of you coming here, Servant? Were you looking to ruffle our feathers and lower our guard with this seemingly disturbing predicament or were you hoping to form some sort of alliance to, perhaps, fix this problem or halt any fighting in the War? Think carefully on your answer. Perhaps we don't share the same sentiments as you might."

"Perhaps we don't," Shirou repeated. "Or perhaps we might have more in common than you think. I'm not here to form an alliance if it is against your interest, but I am here to offer a temporary seize fire until all of this has been sorted out. However," Shirou's gaze turned dark— a threatening aura that even had Lancer turning to face him. "If you wish to obtain the Grail still then be assured I _will _take you down."

Lancer took one step forward. It wasn't a move to defend her Master, but to acknowledge the threat and ready to meet it head-on. Her hands were to her sides and her body was tensed, coiled, and ready to strike at any moment. The second she brought out her Noble Phantasm, or any weapon for that matter, her identity will be revealed and Shirou will have the one advantage capable of overpowering even someone as powerful as a Servant.

Cain, however, only gave a very slow, lax, uninterested blink. "If that is what you wish. Lancer, do not fight him. You will lose anyways."

Shirou cocked a brow. From that tone Cain had announced he had judged Shirou's abilities and deemed them mightier than a true Heroic Spirit's. It wasn't from him doubting his own Servant, but from accepting which of the two were stronger. How could he have known—

Then it suddenly made sense. Lancer had been able to sense the presence of another Servant approaching. It would make sense if Cain could perceive Shirou as a Servant and be able to read some sort of stat layout like Shirou could have when he was a Master. He must have and evaluated which of the two would have come out victorious.

But that didn't stop Shirou from feeling uneasy. If what Cain said was true about Shirou, and Shirou could not feel any form of deception from the man's claim, Cain still did not see Shirou as a threat. Why was that? Without Lancer, what could Cain have that could save him from another Servant? The only safe zone in the entire War was the church. Here, Shirou could easily kill Cain once Lancer was defeated. It didn't make sense.

"I have no interest in being assimilated by heathen magic," Lancer did not lower her guard. "I shall not fight in this War regardless; else defend myself when conflict cannot be avoided."

"Servant," Cain looked down at Shirou, "return to your Master. Tell them I shall not attack you directly unless given a reason to. And until I have a reason to trust you I shall continue to be involved in the War and may consider an alliance in the potential future. Until such a time, I shall be further studying the condition of the Grail. Farewell."

Cain turned, exposing his back completely to Shirou. He shouldn't be surprised. Even when the man came out of the gates he never had a guard up in front of Shirou. Never could he see Shirou as a threat. And why? It wasn't arrogance— Shirou had seen that _plenty _of times. Even the Heavy Wind did not see Shirou as a threat and more so as a _challenge._ But Cain? Cain continued to see him as yet another person, another stranger to walk with on the same street. Someone he couldn't trust and yet someone he had no reason to fear. Not arrogance, but fact.

"Lancer, return to your spectral presence," Cain ordered with the same monotone as he carried throughout the conversation. "You needn't guard the entrance."

Lancer snapped, "I wasn't— tch." She spat in his direction and dissolved into golden particles.

Shirou decided it would be best to return to the manor. The journey here had been more informative than he had been expecting.

*Scene*

It was impossible to determine what went on through Cain's mind and how he was feeling. Having experienced everything in his cursed existence there was very little this world had to offer capable of stirring up anything from his core. Even this War was just another day to him— another week, another year, another passing insignificant _second_ to him. When he had first learned of the Grail War all those centuries ago he had been… interested, if not having caught his attention as much as a shiny object did in the middle of a dirt road. But there were many other more significant spectacles in the world to explore.

He had long ago accepted there was _nothing_ potent enough to remove his Mark. Nothing to remove his existence from the world. He was to walk through this land of mud and blood and woe until the End of Days, perhaps even After. No act of righteousness or damnation could save or hinder him. Nothing could _touch _him.

Until that old kindling of intrigue sparked like a dying ember when the Command Seals appeared on his hand a few weeks back. He spent a fair deal of time contemplating on what to do. Reaching the Akashic Records wasn't in his interest. The Root of the World, the center of all creation, _wasn't _the center of all things as the Magi believe. Sadly, the Root of the World was only the focal point of _this _world and all its parallel alternatives. And just as there were an infinite amount of worlds out there, there, too, were just as many Roots. Therefore, to find the _True _Root of the World would mean one would have to find the Root of the Root of the Root of the Root…

And so on and so forth.

The Absolute, Undeniable, True Root of All, where God Himself— or the systematic entity/force of all creation and whatnot— was beyond the grasp of any mortal. Of any Divine Spirit, even. Of any deathless or immortal.

But not impossible for an everlasting being such as Cain.

And so Cain decided. He shall venture forth into the Grail War and claim victory. He shall enter the Akashic Records and rise up into the next plane. And so the process shall repeat until he finds that plane's Root, and then the next, and the next, and the next, and the next.

Eventually, he shall face God Himself.

But until such cosmic plans could be fulfilled, Cain had to resume his role as the ant in this plane. No, he was inflating himself. He was but an amoeba, more likely. Regardless, even the human body had to make a hundred preparations before climbing a single step of a staircase.

_"Lancer," _he communicated to his Servant through the connection of the Command Seal. _"You will go out tonight and search for another Servant. Kill them if possible."_

He felt Lancer's agitation rise. She obviously heard him and was deliberately ignoring him.

_"Or shall I just use a Command Seal to kill you instead?"_ he threatened. He was not getting irritated by her. He had long forgotten what it felt like to be hurt by other's opinions. After facing endless insults and damnations, they were all the same to him. Because of the Mark it was impossible for someone to show a shred of kindness to him.

The monks he was housing with were a good example. Though they weren't going out of their way to make him as uncomfortable as possible, they weren't showing any compassion either. At best, they were _tolerating _his existence.

_"If you wanted a Servant dead then why not order me to kill Archer with his back turned?" _Lancer snapped back. _"A fitting scene from a snake to order one of God's Men to perform against their beliefs. You do not disappoint to disgust me, summoner."_

_ "That was not Archer," _Cain sat down at the garden as he was preparing to meditate. _"However, you will assume for now that he is should you meet the real one. Should you and this Fake Servant meet tonight, do not fight him no matter what. I meant it when I said you do not stand a chance against the Gandalfr."_

There was a pause.

_"You know the identity of this Servant?" _she hissed in rage. _"Or do you continue to lie with your devil's tongue? I know not what this Gandalfr is from the knowledge from the Throne."_

_"No, I do not know what hero this boy was." _But there was something that confused him. If Lancer did not have any knowledge of the Gandalfr familiar then was it possible not one made it to the Throne of Heroes? A possibility. Or, perhaps, Heroic Spirits born in Gaia's realm only were allowed information from this realm. Did that mean a Heroic Spirit of alien origin such as the Gandalfr would be unknown to them?

He continued, _"I have seen some of his other kind before. But this is the first Gandalfr I have seen. Time in time, they enter this world. Were it any of the other three, I would not be warning you."_

He felt confusion coming from Lancer.

_"Gaius," _he tried getting her attention.

_"D-Do not call me by that name, damnable serpent!" _ The image of a stuttering, blushing Lancer avoiding his general direction flashed through Cain's mind. Perhaps to another she would have been 'cute', but, alas, appeal was another emotion long lost to him since the branding of his Mark.

_"Do this or I shall send Lucia in your stead," _he said once her attention was fully his. _"Will you kill one Servant and only a Servant or shall she kill a Servant and many innocents in her bloodlust?"_

Now there was twice as much rage as before. Cain ignored the wave of killing intent reaching him. The might of a Servant was truly beyond the means of mortal men. Even Dead Apostle Ancestors failed to be on par to them, excluding the top five in ranks of course. Were it anything else, Cain would have been oblivious to its feeling. But even this level of killing intent could not frighten him, not even startle or disturb his thoughts in the slightest.

It was barely strong enough for him to be aware it was there. Like a light tap on the shoulder.

_"Vile snake, how dare you. How dare you!" _Lancer deeply wanted to kill him. However, as she knew of his Mark she wouldn't dare. _"So be it. I shall go. But I pray the Lord damns you to a hell even Satan quivers in fear. Your soul is beyond salvation."_

Disgusted to be anywhere near he, Lancer returned to the gate entrance. He felt her sulk there and curse at him repeatedly. But she will comply with his demands. As she was a servant of the Lord she shall fight to lessen the casualties and do all she could to have innocents from harm's way.

Except this was war. Innocents will always be involved.

_"Lucia," _Cain called out to the Fake Servant just as he had done with Lancer.

He felt her stir from her slumber, eager to be called upon as she somehow knew already what he was about to require of her.

_"When Lancer leaves, follow her," _Cain instructed. _"Make sure she fights if a Servant is nearby. Get the opposing Servant's attention, if you must."_

_ "And if there is more than one Servant?"_ she who had the matching voice of the empress Servant asked with deep hunger. He could feel her twitching, lurching, almost drooling with anticipation. For days she had been _starving _for bloodshed and so had to sleep in order to keep her craving for battle under control. It was a leash far too weak to contain her and ready to snap.

_"Engage," _he permitted.

He heard her squeal in equivocal ecstasy. _"Grazie, Maestro. Grazie mille!"_

The link was severed. Cain opened his eyes. A deep pit in his chest opened as her words echoed through his head. A thank you. A _genuine _thank you. He had not received a thank you in over three… four… six thousand years.

His head turned toward her direction, where she had slept for the past three days. He wasn't sure what to do. This experience of 'joy' was new to him. So new his body, psyche, and soul had no clue how to react and were rejecting it as a foreign sustenance. It ached.

Rather than linger on it, he removed the feeling from within. The polluted and distracted mind is the first to be caught unawares by the enemy. Once more finding his center, Cain began to focus his inner working on the world around him… becoming one with nature, with the spirits, with Mother Gaia…

*scene*

"Archer ratted us out, so be prepared," King Apeiron began his report after sitting on the new couch. While the three had been out, the King of Steel and Troper had gone out to purchase new furniture. It was a similar tacky and stiff set that was overpriced as the ones they had destroyed earlier. When asked how they managed to do this without being identified their answers were terrible.

They both wore sunglasses and medical masks.

So many palms slapped foreheads, causing a euphoric, singular shockwave reverberating in a circle. This effect was strong enough for the group to lose enough brain cells to forget how the two inquired the money to purchase such expensive furnishing and having them delivered in the short hours they were gone.

The Knight of the Round Table, having removed his armor and setting it in a corner, scratched his cheek. He had wondered about how they had money, but assumed the two were rich in their alternative worlds and so didn't ask any questions. While the three were away he had helped the two move everything into position.

Thus Rin's living room was newly refurbished!

King Apeiron went on, "I couldn't exactly enter the school grounds without getting any attention from the students or faculty, so I had to observe from afar. It doesn't look like Rider's been working on the Blood Forte, but I can't be sure as of yet."

"So at what point did you run into Archer?" asked the Campione.

"He came to me," replied the crimson Shirou. "He had sensed my presence and told Rin. She told him to keep an eye on me and to report on what I was doing. In exchange for telling him he told me that Rin knows what we had told each other when Archer was around. She knows about the true nature of the Grail War, about the god issuing the Command, and about us. Luckily, she doesn't know about any of our plans or whatever we discussed when Archer left the manor."

"If she asks questions there's nothing we can do to deny her answers," said the Ash of Miracles.

"Not true," replied King Apeiron. "Wasn't it you who said if we word things the right way we could convince her to let us do whatever we want?"

"No, that was me," said the King of Swords.

"I said it's best to only tell half-lies to keep our stories straight," corrected the Ash of Miracles.

King Apeiron looked at the two and scratched the back of his head. "Ah… Right, right. Sorry about that."

"If I may," spoke up Sir Emiya. "Perhaps if we can properly explain things to Tohsaka-san we can get her to understand what we're doing. Wouldn't it be more efficient this way instead of having to always try to go around her orders?"

"I'm not against it," said the Ash of Miracles. "It would be our best option. I think the only reason why no one wants to do it is because it's Rin we're talking about."

There was a moment of silence as many wanted to argue but none could deny his logic.

"I can do that," said the God Slayer. "If everyone is okay with it I can tell her everything we need to. She was bound to find out eventually anyways. Besides, unless she uses a couple of gems there's nothing she can do to really hurt me. The Magic Resistance of a Campione is notorious."

"All in favor?" asked Troper as he pulled a gavel from seemingly nowhere.

The Campione, the Ash of Miracles, the Knight of the Round Table, and the Gandalfr raised their hands.

"Opposed?" Troper, as well as everyone else, looked at their fairy-sponsored friend.

King Apeiron had a hardened expression on his face as he was thinking about the situation a little more thoroughly than the others. "I will be the first to agree she was going to find out eventually. I was hoping, however, she wouldn't learn until a little later when we could get our bearings together. The Rin of my Grail War was not opposed to any of my plans to stop the War; in fact she was my closest ally the whole time. It's Archer what I'm most worried about.

"He betrayed Rin, got Caster to use Rule Breaker on him, and tried to kill me so he could have a shred of chance of erasing his existence. He really might not remember who he is or he might be lying to us all, but regardless eventually he will be going after this world's Shirou. I can't trust him and we can't always be able to keep an eye on him during the entire duration of the War. Even right now none of us know what he's doing— his Independent Action skill is high enough to leave Rin's side and nothing short of a Command Seal will get him back. If we tell Rin everything then we tell Archer as well. It's unfortunate but they're part of the package."

The King of Steel rubbed his right arm— the arm which originally belonged to his War's Archer. Something was on his mind but he did not voice anything.

The King of Swords, walking over to the sleeping Derflinger sword, was eyeing the vampire Shirou. The Dead Apostle Ancestor, as expected, had a response to the situation. It irked the Gandalfr on how this one always knew what to say at the right time.

"If we cannot trust Archer, then it would be best if we killed him," the Ash of Miracles said in a tone so calm as though stated the conditions of today's weather. "As you said we can't afford to always watch him, even if there are six of us. I cannot speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself. _My _Archer did not care how things were done. He was friendly only when it was in his best interest— such as when he did a joint operation with Rider in attacking Ryuudouji, which failed. _My _Archer tried to kill not just me but Sakura as well. He did not see people as people, only as obstacles in the way of his goal. The things he did to Rin and Luvia…" his golden eyes blazed with such rage. "If this Archer is the same then I say he should die. I'd kill him myself but I doubt I could without killing myself in the process."

"Oh yeah, sure," Troper grumbled to himself. "Totally ignore the guy who said he could spam Command Seals last chapter. Really. Am I _just _the Comic Relief of this story?"

Unfortunately, due to the narrative laws of Monologueing, no one heard Troper even if they were paying attention.

"Then I will have to do that as well," said the Campione as a tick mark appeared by his right temple. "_I _will keep an eye on him. _The Black Knight's Armor_, one of my other Authorities, gives me a Presence Concealment ability that can put any Assassin to shame. It hides me completely from any of the senses except direct ocular view. The god I fought who had this was like one big blur that could even vanish if I he got in my peripheral vision. So long as I stay hidden there is no way they will know I am there. And even if I'm spotted, I can pretend I'm another Servant."

"But you said this ability isn't as reliable during the day," countered King Apeiron. "Sure at night you're invisible. But anyone can spot you out in the middle of the day. Pretending to be someone else's Servant will only work so much."

Troper interrupted, "I have an idea. However, I will need internet access and at least a day or two to get everything. Once that's done we can have full anti-Archer surveillance twenty-four/seven." He turned towards the Campione and added, "And some financial support."

"I don't mind lending a hand," said the King of Steel. "But don't try to swindle some funds out of me. Then you'll be just like Rin. What could you need me for?"

"Money Talks," Troper stated as though that answered everything.

The God Slayer thought about it for a moment and then nodded, accepting his vague explanation. It would seem the two had some sort of understanding of the other since going on their furniture-seeking adventure.

The King of Swords threw in, "If Archer ever becomes a threat then we are more than capable of dealing with him united. Separated, then we can hold him off until another of us arrive. But, after hearing the tales of the Wars from the King of Steel I have to say there is just as much of a possibility Archer can be a great ally as he is a liability. The evidence is all of us here. We are each alternatives of 'Emiya Shirou' just as Archer is. Whatever it is that brought us all here, be it from the god or not, might have influenced Archer's summoning as well. He might be the Counter Guardian bent on finding an end to his existence, or he could be a Heroic Spirit who did make it to Throne. I say we wait and see."

The King of Swords paid extra attention to the way the Ash of Miracles reacted. It was very subtle and hardly noticeable, but there had been something. Annoyance on the surface with something bitter hidden on his ageless mask of a face. Personally, the King of Swords wanted nothing to do with Archer. But he felt the vampire could be just as much of a problem as the Counter Guardian. He had made no moves against any of them, but the Servant of Louise could not trust him just yet.

"Hey Troper, how about those Command Seals you mentioned before?" said Troper to himself in a husky voice. Then he replied to himself in his normal one, "Why, yes! I can slap one here, one there, maybe one there too, and then bam! No Archer killing Shirou. Just Say the Magic Word and it can be done!"

Sadly no one heard him despite him being not even two feet away from the group.

King Apeiron grimaced, "I can't fully agree, but I can't go against it. If you are willing and capable enough to keep him contained then I can't argue. I don't like it. But if we can get Rin to say something a little specific in limited Archer's actions it will put a heavy weight off my chest."

It was at that moment the door opened from down the hall. It was quiet as their Master entered her abode. Her poise was as refined as a Magus of her stature and her eyes were solid as she gazed at each of them. Rin's eyes moved over to scan the living room— from the walls, to the floors, and to her new furniture. An eyebrow was raised, but she said nothing about it.

Behind her, Archer materialized and took his place leaning against the wall, intentionally far away from everyone else.

"Hey, welcome home Rin," Troper waved from his spot on the couch with his goofy smile.

"I'm home," Rin greeted in the traditional Japanese fashion. One hand brushed the locks of her pigtails over her shoulder as she strolled passed them and into the hallway. With one last look at the group, she opened the hidden door to her basement and entered her workshop.

Silence.

"I can't tell…" said the Arthurian Shirou. "Is she still mad?"

Everyone looked at the other in confusion. From small gestures to tiny expression changes made a wordless conversation go around the room. Every Shirou spoke to the other through recognizing facial responses almost akin to telepathy.

_'What should we do?'_ asked the Campione to anyone.

_'Should we go check on her?'_ the Ash of Miracles asked by tilted his head towards the workshop.

_'What are you crazy or something?' _Sir Emiya intercepted the mental transmission from the vampire. His brows furrowed that said, _'She'll shoot you with that black stuff.'_

_ 'Archer, what happened when I left?' _a look to the Counter Guardian from King Apeiron asked.

_'…' _Archer shrugged.

At this point, the undead maid Asuka walked in with a tray of tea, saw what was going on, and decided it would be best for her health to return to the kitchen.

_'Regardless, this doesn't look good at all,' _the Dead Apostle Ancestor crossed his arms. He then nudged his head a bit more forcibly towards the workshop. _'We need to at least see if she's okay. What's the worst that can happen?'_

_ 'Did you seriously just ask that?' _a raised brow came from the King of Swords. _'We all know what she can do to us.'_

_ 'Eh, Partner,' _came from Derflinger. Which was weird. He hadn't moved at all. _'She can't be any worse from the pink one, can she?'_

_ 'You have no idea,' _the Familiar of Zero rolled his eyes.

The Ash of Miracles asked the same question to King Apeiron instead.

The crimson clad Shirou replied with a shrug that said, _'I am a little concerned as well. We should at least knock and check up on her.'_

Everyone looked at everyone to see if it was the best choice of action. Archer remained ignorant of the conversation. With five heads nodding, both immediate and hesitant, they all agreed they should see what was going on with Rin as a group instead of sending one poor soul to take the blunt. But there were only five heads who nodded. Everyone had turned towards the one Shirou who had said absolutely nothing during the psychic conversation.

_'Therefore, we mount a preemptive strike on them at dawn. And with that our enemies shall be decimated and the Republic shall be in ruins,' _the face of Troper said to an anonymous amenity as he was staring off into deep space. _'Once more the Sith shall rule the galaxy! And we shall have… peace.'_

Troper blinked as his head swiveled around. Massive anime-ish sweatbeads sprouted from his head. _'Oh shit, they heard us! La la la! La! La la la la! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA~'_

It was a unanimous decision to pretend to not have heard anything.

*Scene*

Rin didn't know why she was hiding from her Servants. All day since hearing everything from Archer she had been thinking of how to confront them. She even took her time going home, deciding to take a detour to the café out of the way. The 'King Apeiron' Shirou had been lurking around the school and could have been seen by the mundane populace. Luckily there hadn't been any word about an Emiya Shirou lookalike when school was over.

Two things peeved her today. The first, after hearing Archer's explanation, she was annoyed that there wasn't just one 'King' Emiya, but three. The mundane-looking one, that blue cloaked Shirou, and the crimson clad one. The fairy champion and the god slayer she could, somewhat, understand why they would be called kings. But that King of Swords? He didn't exactly elaborate what about him was 'kingly'.

The second thing that annoyed her today was how elusive the _real _Emiya Shirou had been. Then again, she hadn't been looking for him as much as she should have. She still had a reputation as the school idol to uphold. Who knows what would have happened if rumors started with 'the School Idol was looking for the School Doormat'. At first it doesn't sound so bad— she could have been looking for him to help her with something as everyone else asks of him. But this was high school. Teenagers tend to… overreact and scandalize everything.

But come on! Almost every day she would see him walking around school. Why was it when she was actually looking (preying) for him he suddenly vanishes? She had half a mind to go into the bathroom or roof, draw a circle on the floor, and use a scrying spell using some of Archer's hair as a catalyst.

It wasn't a priority. She didn't _need _to break his nose for hiding his existence as a Magus right now. No, she needed to figure out what she was going to do with all of her Servants for the War. It was clear they had their own agenda. By the sound of it, with what Archer was saying about the Greater Grail and the Avenger Class, they had no interest in actually participating. Rin didn't want the Grail for some stupid wish. She wasn't even sure if she wanted it to reach the Akashic Records. But she had felt a small twinge of betrayal when Archer told her what he had learned about his counterparts.

The mentioning of a god Commanding _her _Servants was just rubbish. The only reason why she didn't say anything against it was because it was making her Servants panic and build a Bounded Field that surpassed anything she could have made.

There wasn't much information to go off of about them. One made a promise to the Fae to be a defender to humanity and was given a Noble Phantasm like King Arthur had, one became a God Slayer and could inherit the abilities of Divine Spirits he killed, one was a Knight of the Round Table and was taught Thaumaturgy by _the _Merlin, one was a hero of a completely alien world with a talking sword, one was a Dead Apostle _Ancestor _as well as the personal hunting dog to Barthomeloi Lorelei, and one… one…

That idiot with the sunglasses never told his side of the story, she realized.

That aside, she couldn't have asked for a better team for the Grail War. If they were Heroic Spirits and not living beings, that is. But again raised the question if she could trust any of them. From their experiences they obviously knew her— to be more specific, they knew of a Rin exactly like her in their respective lives. Which raised another question if she had performed Second Magic instead of the intentional Third when summoning her Servant. Or she had performed both, as Archer is a true Heroic Spirit from the Throne.

She shook her head. She was getting distracted with too many thoughts interlinking one after another.

Going back to her original question: could she trust them? It wasn't a matter of putting her life in their hands. She was more than assured they would die protecting her— a feeling she didn't know where it had derived. It was more of a matter if she could trust them for the War itself. If this Grail War was anything like theirs then they will be doing whatever they could to stop it. Rin was fine with that; letting such a catastrophe go on was against her moral code— even against her Magus code to improve her magecraft.

What really bothered her was if they were going to trust her. Will they go against her and pretend this is all just a normal War and be ignorant about it while they perform black ops on their own? Or will they openly reveal to her the nature of the War and ask for her assistance? Their answer will determine how she will treat them from this point on.

Climbing back up the stairs after standing in the middle of her workshop, Rin played with the jewel necklace with her fingers. Her first test was going to be directed upon the god slayer while indirectly upon everyone else. She was going to look for everyone's reaction to see where their loyalties truly laid.

When she opened the door she found the hallway crowded with five of the seven Shirou. The grayish one had been closest to the door and was ready to knock with a raised fist when she opened it. They all backed away as if she were some plague— they even had worried looks plastered.

Even when they all looked slightly different, they all had the same face. Seeing the same expression on the same face of five people could drive a person insane.

"Ah, Rin." Rin felt she could no longer call this one 'the gray Shirou' since most of his complexion had returned. This Shirou was… the Ancestor, wasn't he? Yes, he was. And so she shall call him by his title. The Ash of Miracles scratched his cheek with the pre-raised hand and tried to give a friendly smile, "W-We were just wondering if you were okay."

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," she replied while waving him away.

"Right. If there's anything you need just let me know, okay?" he asked with a concerned look that could pierce her mind. Like a man who truly did care about how she was feeling and was offering to listen to her. A sort of look that suddenly made him twice as handsome as he should have been and… was he sparkling?

Rin shook her head furiously and turned away from him. She wasn't blushing because of his charm. No. She was being manipulated by his vampire magic. That must be it.

Gathering herself once more, she looked at 'King' Emiya, the Campione. "About earlier… is it true you really can bring back the dead?"

The most mundane looking of the bunch gave a sharp nod. "I can bring back the souls of those who have passed away so long as I have something strong enough to anchor them from the afterlife. I can bring them back as ethereal ghosts and with a bit of effort and reserves from my Od I can give them flesh like how I did with Asuka-san. For Asuka-san, I had to use a fragment of her gravestone to call her."

He pulled out a small pouch from his pocket to show her. By the looks of it and how it sounded, there were several fragments in that pouch.

Rin nodded and extended her arm. Her family jewel hung by her grip. "Can you use this to bring back a relative of mine?"

He began to reach for it, but stopped himself short. A look of pain crossed his face as he warned, "Tohsaka, bringing back a loved one isn't something I recommend. It will be their true self from the afterlife and they retain all of their memories even after their death."

"Your point?" she asked.

"I have no problem if you want me to bring back either of your parents," he said with a hardened expression. "I have no right to say anything against it. I can only warn you it might not be what you really want."

She eyed him for a few seconds, taking in everything about him. This Shirou was just as concerned about her as the Dead Apostle. The look of worry wasn't as obvious, but still definitely there. This one was full of complete understanding. Not some cheap, teenage substitution of 'understanding' that compared two types of pains together, but a true sympathy of knowing what she had gone through in great detail.

She bowed her head and cupped her hand over her lips, pretending to look like she was thinking when she was really hiding the blush. This Shirou passed her test with flying colors. She could trust him. But did he have to push her buttons like this?

"I suppose you're right," Rin nodded when confidence returned. "I'd never hear the end of it from my father if he ever found out what ever happened to the Tohsaka fortune."

A dark cloud covered Rin. Thanks to that fake priest's poor monetary management skills all of the excessive lands owned by the Tohsaka name had been lost. Rin was lucky she had the manor left with some finances to keep it up and running. Financing her Jewel Craft was a completely different issue.

Luckily that dark cloud made her miss the wince every Shirou made simultaneously.

"So what did you find when you went scouting?" she asked the whole group as she moved back into the living room. She had to admit they did a fantastic job repairing the damage done. The holes were covered, new furniture had been purchased, and every corner of the room was spotless. She will ask them how they got the money for the furniture and how they filled the walls without leaving any noticeable scars. But not now.

"Welcome home, Tohsaka-sama," came the welcoming voice of King Emiya's resurrected servant. She came from the kitchen and gave a very western-style curtsy. "Dinner is being prepared and will be finished in less than an hour. Shall I draw you a bath before you dine?"

"That won't be needed," replied the Tohsaka heir. Not even a full day and she had already gotten used to having Asuka around. "Please prepare the dining room for myself and my Servants. You may join us if you wish as well."

"You do me the honor, Tohsaka-sama, but it will be improper for this maid to dine with their sovereign." Suzuki Asuka said in a tone between correcting a child in decorum and advising against something to a politician that will bring their downfall. "I shall join you in the dining room, but to serve. Remember, knock thrice if you are in need of anything."

She dismissed herself to return to her cooking duties.

"I found a few things noteworthy," began the Ash of Miracles when he sat down in front of the coffee table. "I was roaming around Miyama Town's residential district for a few hours. The Matou family has been busy fortifying the defenses of their house. I have to say it's on par with a Caster's Territory Creation skill. Obviously direct confrontation is an impossibility once that is done. But by the degree of its workings and the structure of its foundation…" his eyes turned from gold to steel gray. "…Factor in the prana transfer/storage with the integral binding spells, power source, density of the 'wall' times…" at this point he began mumbling to himself.

He blinked and his eyes reverted to their topaz selves, "We'd have about three days, give or take the conditions of the Servant, before a Temple can be set."

"So the Matous summoned a Caster?" Rin asked.

"Not necessarily," answered the vampire. "As I said the construction is on par with a Caster. I am saying we are dealing with a Heroic Spirit who is also a Magus of great skill and am implying it is most likely Caster. It could be Territory Creation, or it could just be an extremely intricate Bounded Field. We cannot cross out the possibility of it being a different Class just yet. If we prepare ourselves for a Caster and it be something like a Saber or Lancer the surprise could cripple us."

She eyed this one. The Dead Apostle Ancestor had a silver tongue. He was hiding something and he did well to conceal it. But his problem was he had done so _too _well. From his lax gestures to his wordings he was using techniques to calm Rin and lull her to adjust her guard to meet his standards. She almost fell for it too. This one… she thought she could trust him. But now she wasn't so sure.

"What else did you find?" she pressed on.

"That the Emiya household is lacking any proper defense," he gave a heavy sigh. "I guess this world's Shirou doesn't know that much about Thaumaturgy. Tragic, but not unexpected. If not for my old man approaching things… _differently _I probably wouldn't know what I know today.

"Other than that, I ran into another Master on my way back," he frowned slightly. "The Einzbern representative approached me, believing that I was this world's Emiya Shirou, and told me I had one last chance to summon 'it'. Honestly, I have no idea how Illya could have mistook me for this Shirou. He and I look nothing alike."

Rin made a note that he knew the Einzbern's name and was also friendly enough with her to not address her in honorifics, much the same way he did with Rin. Not that she didn't _hate it_… per se… but she didn't know him so it was almost like an insult. The second thing she noted was how this Shirou had already seen what her Shirou looks like and could compare the two. Perhaps when he was at Emiya's house the vampire had stumbled upon a photograph. That's what she would like to believe. Given his… secretive and elusive personality there was something fishy about him.

But he had left the information out in the open like that as if it meant nothing to him. Like he had openly admitted doing some dirty deed. It bugged her.

"What did you do?" asked the blue Shirou with haste. Process of elimination used, Rin deduced this was the King of Swords Shirou.

"Nothing," the vampire shrugged. "Before I could even reply she turned and skipped away. I suppose I could have said something while she was in earshot. But I _really _didn't want to fight her Servant. Especially in a residential area full of people in the middle of the day. After that, I returned here right after you, King of Swords."

Rin turned towards the appointed Shirou and asked, "All right. Did you find anything?"

The King of Swords nodded and told his tale of his trip through Ryuudou Temple. She took an interest when this Shirou met with Lancer and her Master and was able to avoid battle. The identity of the Servant was still unknown, sadly, but at least she could look into the unknown Magus named Cain Adams. She also took notice on how despite the man looked as normal as any other person off the street he was also compared to Matou Zouken for his presence. Last, the Master had openly admitted Lancer would have lost to this Shirou if they were to fight. The King of Swords stated his stats must have been higher than Lancer's.

"I can't say for sure, Emiya-kun," Rin shook her head. "I can't get a read on the stats of any of you. The only one I can is Archer. Either this Adams-san was lying to give a false sense of security, can read your stats somehow when I can't, or has some other means of determining who would win. If the latter then this Master is extremely sharp, more so than he reveals to be."

"But Lancer was able to tell I was a Servant," the King of Swords bowed his head in thought. "Unfortunately, all three of your explanations are equally plausible, so I can't say for certain which one is true. Unless I ask him and chance he's telling the truth."

Setting the matter aside, the King of Swords finished his report with the conditions of Adams' alliance. He will not attack her unless given a reason to and he might consider an alliance if she can provide a reason for him to trust her. It sounded like fair terms of anything related to magecraft, not just relating to the War. Rin might have considered thinking about it if she didn't already have _seven _Servants with one of them greater or equal to Lancer.

Tough luck on Adams-san.

Finished with him, Rin asked the same question for anyone to answer. The crimson clothed Shirou, the champion of the fairies and _another _King Emiya, stepped forward to give his speech. Which was disappointing. He had nothing to report. There was nothing he could find relating to the War and it was depressingly boring. The inspiring moment of the day was when Archer approached him with Rin's message to 'back off'. Apparently Archer didn't give it to him, which earned him a dark glare from Rin.

"After dinner I will be going out," she told the group when all business was done. "Archer will be going with me. Am I to assume some or all of you will be out and about 'scouting'?"

Nods and 'yes' were exchanged.

"Do I have to tell any of you about the rule of secrecy placed on the War and what it means if any mundane person finds out?"

Answers were given. All of them knew the War had to be kept a secret at any cost. Good.

"One more thing," she decided to throw in another test into the mix. She had planned on holding this card until the time was right, but something in her gut told her now was the best time. "Archer told me everything about you. I know who you all are."

She was expecting them to… panic? Hmm. She wasn't sure what she was expecting of them. But to see no reaction whatsoever was a little disappointing. She could only assume Archer had told King Apeiron that he had told her everything. A pity.

"Rin," of all the people, the idiot with the sunglasses was the one to give her an explanation. However, his childish demeanor had vanished and was replaced by one of tempered steel. One that had been broken and forged countless times. It made her reevaluate him. "If you ask, you shall receive. We're not your enemies. All of us are friends. If you trust in us, we will go through hell and back for you. So trust us. When the time is right, if I have to, I will be the one who will share all you need. That's all any of us can ask, and that is all we can give."

"…Fine," Rin nodded in solemn defeat. His resolve had been absolute. Even if she wanted to, and she _really _wanted to, she couldn't reject him. For now she will play ignorant and continue being a Master in the Grail War while pretending to not know what it was they were up to.

For now.

* * *

**A message from the Author! Part two!**

Hello again. So, my 'Financial Advisor' asked me 'What the fuck is a Crimson Apostle? It sounds like the same ingredients you put on a shit sandwich'. Which isn't far from the truth. The idea of such a creature existing is close to a mockery of everything Nasu has done in the Nasuverse. Something a grade-schooler would make up to say 'mine is better because of this and that'. So what is a Crimson Apostle?

I don't know. I have no intention on revealing what it is other than it is a Type based off of Mars much like how the True Ancestors are off of Crimson Moon. You'll never see what a 'Crimson Apostle' is in this story, period. Throwing it in there was just for the sake of showing that the said Servant was originally classified as something beyond the power of a Heroic Spirit and had been 'downgraded' for the War. Maybe some history as the identity of that Servant is revealed will be thrown in, but other than that, it's mostly useless information.

So now we have Challenge #2: **Four Servants are bound to Cain. Who are they?**

For each correct answer I offer ten points, with a total of 40. But wait! I have a second challenge!

Challenge #3: **What are the full names of 'Gaius' and 'Lucia'?**

For Lancer, I offer 30 points. With some research it won't be too hard to figure out. I'll even throw in the hints "Lancer" "Gaius" "Roman" "Servant of God" in there. Super easy. Lucia, however, I offer 50 points. I am MORE than sure no one will figure this out and to prove me wrong I offer this many points. I give no hints on this one, however.

For those who were looking for a fight scene finally, I deeply apologize. Deeply. Even I am devastated by the lack of awesomeness in this story. I had mapped out that by this chapter I would have at least one of the Shirous battling a Servant. Hell, that was why I introduced Lancer in the first place. But if I continued any longer it would have been another week before the chapter was done and my word count would have doubled. I apologize once more. But rest assured! Next chapter right off the bat begins with shit going down!

Thank you for reading.

**Posted 11/4/13**


	4. Champion of Mars

Praise be to...!

**Gabriel Blessing **for _The King of Swords_

**Marcus Galen Sands** for _The King of Steel_

**James D.** **Fawkes **for _King Apeiron_

**Third Fang** for _The Ash of Miracles / Second Magus Killer_

**TypeMoonFreak** for _Sir Emiya, Knight of the Round_**  
**

**SatireSwift** for _Troper!_

Where would I be without you guys? Throne of Shirou wouldn't be here, that's what.

**A note from the author!**

Warning. This note is slightly longer than usual. And split in twos again.

RAWR! I am Arrixam! Hear me roar! 14.4k words for just this chapter! The longest one I have ever done in any story. I spent, literally, ten hours writing this without a break. Seriously. Not even a food break or a bathroom break. Ha ha ha... man was I messed up when this was all over...

Anywho, one of my readers in RL came up to me and asked me how I see the other Shirous. I mean, yeah, they are all the same characters with the same personalities, but it's the small details that determine who is different. So he was just curious and I decided to answer him. I wanted to save this for later, but I decided to share it with you guys too. Many of you might have noticed in my PMs or author notes I refer to the Shirous of this story as 'Shirou Rangers'. There's a reason.

As I have noticed in reviews and personal messages, you all think I chose this team because they are the most badass of the badass in all of Fanfiction Net. Ha ha ha HA HA HA HA HA HAAAAAAAAA! No. I chose them for their DIVERSITY. I hate cookie cutters of the same character. I had a system for determining which of them to choose. And here it is:

**Shirou Gold- King Apeiron! **(Symbolically the Star. As "Gold Ranger" this Shirou has been through the trials of his other Rangers, overcoming them, and then going beyond. And then conquering THOSE beyonds and repeating the process. He might not be the team leader, but he is the most senior of the group and is looked up to by everyone. He is also, undeniably, the most powerful of the others in terms of raw might- IE Escalvatine)

**Shirou Red- The King of Steel! **(Symbolically the Triangle. As "Red Ranger" this Shirou is the leader of the group, determined not from election or given by a higher being, but determined from experience and recognition from the other Rangers subconsciously. "Red Ranger" Shirou might not know he is the leader, and his teammates might not know it either, but the group will revolve around him being such.)

**Shirou Blue- The King of Swords!** (Symbolically the Square. As "Blue Ranger" this Shirou understands the workings of EVERYTHING by the book. There are rules to how things work and he knows how it's done. From battle tactics, to politics, to etiquette, and so on. Unlike Rangers affiliated with the Circle, this Shirou will respond to situations logically (most of the time) and overcome them with precision. Notably, this Ranger has the highest chance of becoming "Gold Ranger".)

**Shirou Green- The Ash of Miracles! **(Symbolically the Rectangle- yes there's a difference from the shape above. As "Green Ranger" this Shirou knows everything the "Blue Ranger" knows. However, unlike his counterpart who is limited to his 'cubicle', this Shirou shares the values of the Circle-based Rangers and tends to be more flexible with the knowledge and how it is used. Logic and emotions can be used simultaneously without harming the project. Notably, does not require a team to operate and can go rogue.)

**Shirou Pink/Yellow- Sir Emiya! **(Symbolically the Heart/Circle. As "Pink Ranger" this Shirou is what binds the team together. He understands what it means to have a brother-in-arms better than anyone and can calm any problem the team might have amongst themselves. As "Yellow Ranger" this Shirou is the most essential part of the team... at the cost of being the least valuable. He is a support character that backs-up the other Rangers without having to get in their way. As both "Yellow" and "Pink" Ranger, the team will fall apart without him.)

**Shirou White- Troper! **(Symbolically the Squiggle. Some may think the Squiggle is just a spaz of a symbol with no meaning to it. Others say the reasons behind the formation of a Squiggle goes beyond their understanding. Neither parties are wrong in these claims. As "White Ranger" this Shirou... MAY match the might of the Gold Ranger. However, it is not to be confused with 'most powerful of the group'. This Ranger's abilities are DIFFERENT and are bound by a completely different set of rules. In a world of Apples, he is the Orange. Can be the Ultimate One-Shot Weapon when used correctly. Can also be the 'overused and over-exaggerated Super Weapon' when used repeatedly.)

That's it. That was my list and I found the right Shirous to fill it up. I did, however, have other 'Rangers' but couldn't find anyone fitting the criteria.

Now that that blab-fest is over, let's get on with the story!

Oh, one last thing. Yes, I know how high someone needs to be to break through the sound barrier when free-fall dropping.

* * *

**Chapter Four**

**The Champion of Mars**

For a few hours now Lancer had been lurking through most of Fuyuki City in search for a Servant to poke at, hoping she wouldn't run into one. She had no intentions of complying completely with her _summoner's _orders in killing a fellow Hero. But she also desired to keep that blood-hungry _Apostle _out of the battlefield. Her summoner threatened to unleash her should Lancer fail any of his— its— expectations. The fourth Servant was at least of right mind to warn her 'teammates' about her condition. It was in everyone's best interest, as well as Lancer's moral code, to keep that beast chained as much as possible.

She deliberately took her time. With her C-Rank Agility she could cover this half of the city in twenty-thirty minutes. But she was only exerting enough to be considered E-Rank Agility, as well as pausing on a rooftop to 'look' around. Her summoner, who was linked to her consciousness, was well aware of her intentions but hadn't voiced any displeasure whatsoever. For someone who would unleash the most reckless of the Servants, rivaling that of a Berserker, he— no, _it, _she reminded herself— wasn't doing much of a job making sure hers got done.

Repeating the process of landing on a roof and swiveling her head around as though actually 'looking' for something Lancer took another moment to give a heavy sigh. Nothing ever goes her way. Perhaps it was the Lord testing her. Perhaps He was for it was the Sinner who bound her in a game of witchcraft. If so, then what should she do?

Her faith shall be put to the test. As she landed upon the last rooftop the presence of a Servant became known to her, and by extension became known to the Sinner. Playing ignorant would not be an option. In fear of having many a casualty from her disobedience, Lancer decided to meet with this unknown Hero. 'Kill them if possible' had said the Sinner. And so she shall fight, but she shall not give it her all.

With one last sigh, she steeled herself, gave a small whisper of a prayer, and leapt into the soon-to-be battlefield.

*Scene*

"Rin, there is a Servant," Archer said to the young Magus as he felt the shimmer of pressure any Servant knew. They had made one last stop on the rooftop of Homurahara Academy after scouting the city for strategic positions for future battles. Archer had let her in on his Clairvoyance skill by counting the amount of bolts that held the side of the Fuyuki Bridge together. She had been in awe, but not as much as he wished since she was already aware Heroic Spirits possessed abilities and performed feats normal humans could only dream of achieving.

Rin's response to the Servant was to run out of the school and confront it in the courtyard. Archer took the express route by jumping down the three stories from the roof.

Meeting them, appearing from their astral form, was a female Servant nearly as tall as Archer with long, lanky limbs. She wore armors and straps of leather donned with decorative brass metal, a brass helm with a vibrant red mane running from the crown to the back, leather gloves and boots, and a flowing red cape over her shoulders. Her hair was clipped short and her eyes were milky and crossed akin to a blind man's.

"Good evening Master and fellow Servant of the War for the False Grail," the Servant's voice was feminine yet butch, like a girl purposely pretending to play the part of a man.

She wasn't fooling anyone with those knockers exposed at the clip of her leather vest.

The King of Swords' description of her had been spot-on, Rin had to admit. So this was Servant Lancer. And, if Rin remembered specifically what the 'King' had said about his conversation with this Servant, this would be another moment in which Lancer called the Holy Grail 'False'. Comparing the claim with what she found out about her Shirous, Rin would have assumed Lancer knew about the curse of the Grail as well. However, assuming the King of Swords was telling the truth about his visit, Lancer would know the bare minimum about the Grail but her Master, that Cain Adams, would know the better details.

In short, calling the Grail 'False' was a testament to her hatred towards magecraft. She constantly, with great persecution, called it witchcraft.

"I am the Servant Lancer," the woman continued without missing a beat. She nodded her head once to each Rin and Archer. "I am under orders to match myself against another Servant in combat. However, I wish for you to know I am against it entirely."

"Oh?" Archer took a step forward to become between Lancer and Rin. "If so against it then why not resist a bit more? Or has he already used a Command Seal?"

Rin interrupted, "If you are Servant Lancer then you've met my…" here's where she struggled for a moment on what to say, but then decided to might as well say it, "…other Servant just this afternoon. We are under seize-fire, aren't we?"

Lancer was about to reply to the both of them when she turned her head to the side and blinked. Her expression changed from uncomfortable to sheer displeasure. She even groaned when facing the two once more. "My _summoner _refuses me the liberty of answering your question, Servant. As for you, Master, I beg your pardon. Then, if I may, what is the Class of your Servant?"

Rin did not miss the way Lancer addressed her Master. There was much venom in that tone, painfully obvious.

Archer gave one 'hmph' of a laugh and replied, "Understand, Lancer, this is a war, whether it is for the real Holy Grail or a false one made from magic. I will not reveal my Class to you just because it may be the polite thing to do. Just as your Master has claimed to not trust us then so shall we until proven otherwise."

Lancer's dead eyes shifted from staring off into nothing to turn and stare directly into Archer's. "Fair words, Servant. Understandable, however it is in your interest to answer my question else I will be forced to engage." Her brows furrowed, "My summoner says he will see you as a Master pretending to be of the one mentioned in the seize-fire unless you can prove you are the Master of Servant Archer."

Rin blinked. She looked between Archer and Lancer. Confused, she pointed at her Servant, "But… he _is _Archer. I can't prove that unless we show his Noble Phantasm, which I will _not _reveal to another Master and their Servant."

"Summoner," Lancer corrected. "And are you saying this man at your aid is the Servant of the Bow?"

Now Rin was even more confused than before. It would seem Lancer had been misinformed on who the real Servant Archer was. If she would not believe Archer wasn't Archer then who—

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Rin realized. That _Idiot _of Swords must have introduced himself as Servant Archer or had given Lancer the impression he was. Unless Rin can prove she had multiple Servants there was no way she could convince her Archer was the real Archer. Unfortunately, the Idiot Squad was nowhere near her and had gone off to do their own thing.

"I don't think she's willing to listen, Rin,"Archer had caught on to her thoughts. "She came to pick a fight, not to negotiate terms of peace."

Lancer shifted in stance. "Very well. My summoner has acknowledged you as an imposter and has ordered me to deal with you accordingly. Prepare yourself, liar Servant."

In her left hand materialized a steel short sword and in her right a spear with a spade tip. With her left leg in front she pointed the sword at the two while keeping the spear tucked under her arm. Archer brought out his pair of white and black falchions in turn. Matching her stance he tucked himself in a defensive pose with a low crouch and both blades crossing over his torso, one over the other. The tension rose as the two were staring at the other, judging the criteria of battle. None made a move to advance or twitched from pressure. These were Heroic Spirits, beings who have met great feats of battle and faced challenges men of this age would die of fear.

Rin followed her gut and took a few steps back.

The sound of her feet shuffling was the trigger needed for both Servants to charge. At speeds beyond Rin's perception, the two clashed with a series of slashes distorting the space around them. Sparks lit up the night as the clash of metal hurt her ears. Lancer switched between slashing with her sword to stabbing with her spear while Archer followed a flow of defending and countering every move. Indeed Heroic Spirits were beyond the means of even the Enforcer Magi as they swerved around the other, kicking up dirt and creating torrents of wind with each movement. Rin could only see one or two moves every second— and her gut was telling her more like six or seven, perhaps more, had been unleashed.

Archer parried the sword in his dance-like style but did not counter as the spear went in for its own counter. The blow was parried and the Servant of the Bow swiveled around the Servant of the Spear to get at her backside. Lancer met his attack without having to turn her head, spun, and unleashed a storm of stabs with her spear. Archer easily deflected each blow while sending his own at her, which was deflected by Lancer's short sword in return. Both continued their onslaught, ducking, jumping, rolling, twirling— just dancing in a style so beautiful and so diverse, yet so deadly the smallest mistake or slip will be the end of the other.

Such as when Lancer disarmed Archer, sending his white blade flying through the air.

Seeing the moment to strike, Lancer closed in on the window to deal the finishing blow to his open guard. But it was not to be as the spear was blocked when the white blade had reappeared in his grip. Lancer had shown displeasure, but Rin had missed anything else as they returned to their blurred movements.

It might as well be a firework show with the amount of sparks flaring around the pavement with how fierce the two were going at it. In only twenty seconds of battle both Archer and Lancer had unleashed blow after blow onto the other with the full objective to kill. Rin was out of her league, definitely if she wanted to support Archer in any way. Perhaps if there was enough distance between the Servants she could use a jewel. Lancer had no Skill towards Magic Resistance.

But after further reading into Lancer's parameters, Rin was confident Archer could defeat this seemingly weak Servant on skill alone. Comparing the two's stats, they were evenly matched. In fact, they, literally, had the same level of parameters. The only thing that differed between the two was their type of skills. Archer wielded Independent Action, Clairvoyance, Eye of Mind (True), and Magecraft. Lancer, however, had Instinct, Eye of Mind (False), Protection of the Faith, and Sainthood. Lancer's stats were mostly for defense, yet she was always taking the initiative and moving to the offense. That was her problem. Archer was always defending and biding his time to counter. Thus, Lancer was negating her own abilities and continuously trapping herself for Archer.

With the fifth disarmed blade flying over their heads, Lancer was starting to show her frustration. Two minutes into battle and she had yet to lower Archer's guard. For every attempt to strike him down Archer always had a backup. He was matching her for speed— what Lancers boasted about— and determining the flow of the battle. Both of their movements were swift and precise, but it was Lancer who had to move twice as much as Archer. Lancer continued to strike endlessly at nothing but a wall that was Archer, while the Servant of the Bow moved at the bare minimum to stop her advances and knock her back.

Suddenly Lancer leapt away. Not even a second later, Rin saw a blur of white and black hail from the sky at a blinding speed followed by a shriek of air being torn. At the speed surpassing that of a bullet, the blurs crashed from the sky onto where Lancer had been standing half a second ago. A cloud of dirt and pavement flew everywhere and a deafening boom hurt her ears. Rin covered her face from the blast, even when she was several meters away from the battle.

Lancer stood with the spear tucked under her arm and the sword firmly at her hip, both pointed towards the ground. A deep frown and a hard scowl creased her sharp face. "Such tactics does not fit one of the knight Classes, Assassin."

Rin removed her arm to see what had struck. The dust had settled just enough for her to see several black and white falchions dug into the ground, gathered in a group as though pulled magnetically to that exact spot. Rin couldn't believe it. She had thought Archer was just retrieving his lost blades back into his grip through some ability or as his Noble Phantasm. She couldn't believe he was drawing copies of the same weapons over and over throughout the battle.

Nor could Lancer. Archer had been willing to hide his Class as well as letting her believe the same as Rin had. It wasn't cowardly, but it wasn't an honorable strategy either. It would have been fitting to call Archer an Assassin instead.

But raised another question. What _Archer _uses _swords_?!

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," jested Archer. "Honor and pride will only get you killed. Only the foolish follow such a creed."

"You sound just like my summoner," Lancer did not sound impressed in the slightest. Her eyes changed focus. From grief of battle and hesitation became determination to execute. Gone was the pacifist. "I'll not tolerate the existence of another _serpent. _As a servant of the Lord, it is my duty to send you to divine retribution."

Archer smirked and announced, "You can try, Longinus."

The battle continued. Archer chucked both blades on hand at his target faster than humanly possible. Lancer, aware of his abilities as well as those of the swords, deflected the projectiles towards the ground. Before she could recover, Archer had picked up another pair and threw them at her at blinding speeds, to which Lancer had no choice but to deflect upwards. Before any others could be thrown, Lancer charged and met Archer head-on.

*Scene*

Seated upon her mount high above the heavens, beyond the reach mortals can achieve without protections from climate, the fourth Servant bound to Cain Adams watched the battle between Lancer and the red one unfold. She did not have the gift of Clairvoyance and thus could not determine the finer details of their engagement. However, for one as skilled in bloodshed as she, such factors did not matter. Though down below the two were smaller than specks of dust, smaller than a grain of sand, but a mere dot in a sea of dark, the fourth Servant could perceive all that went on.

The Servant of the Spear was struggling against this new Servant, most likely a Saber or Caster. Remarkable if a Caster could match the feats of a Lancer and expected— if not a little disappointing if _only— _if a Saber was just on par. It was said the Saber was the best of all the Servants and generally had powers at least one rank above the other Servants. Lancer was nothing but a pushover compared to the feats the fourth Servant faced. One of her captains could have knocked the living shit out of Lancer.

So it was ruled this new Servant was not a Saber if he was having difficulty with Lancer.

Being driven with the craving to join the battle but not being permitted to, the Servant high above could only watch and mentally calculate the layout of the battle. The red Servant was using a technique of mystic sword Noble Phantasms of potentially unlimited amounts which were attracted to their opposite selves. His skills in coordinating their trajectory when deflected as well as controlling the flow of battle with his _painfully _obvious openings were admirable. But this Servant had already devised a strategy to knock him back a few pegs, if not outright defeat him.

But what fun would that be if an intriguing Hero was defeated so quickly? She would at least let him use his Noble Phantasm before splicing his torso open, ripping out his heart, and taking a bite into the soft, meaty flesh, letting the blood trickle down her lips and drip onto her bosom—

A shiver went down her spine. Her Bloodlust attribute was growing more aggressive with each passing day. If she didn't find another Servant she may be forced to confront one of her own teammates. Her _Maestro _would not be pleased.

Something miniscule and normally unworthy of her attention brought her out of her rousing. A movement down below but a few miles away from the battle was approaching in haste. Two specks of black dots were coming in through the woodlands surrounding the schoolyard and would be upon the academy in a matter of moments. They were not inhumanly fast, but above the standards of the pathetic mundane of this era.

When turning her head in the slightest, her focus honed in on them. An eyebrow was quirked. Servants? Two of them? They both felt on par in on the level of lethality as Lancer.

But beggars can't be choosers.

Reaching into the pouch at her mount's saddle, the Servant pulled out four large orbs twice the size of billiard pieces— two in each hand. The red, shifting, liquid metal squirmed in her grip as though alive.

"_Vieni!_" called the Servant in glee. "_Vincitore, seguitemi in gloria!_"

Throwing all four spheres into the air, the Servant leapt off her mount and dove from the high heavens. The spheres circled around her back, rotating over and under each other as they followed their owner. As driven as she was to draw blood, she was no fool. From this height the fall will surely cripple her, Heroic Spirit or not. But such measures had already been prepared. Two of the spheres latched onto her back and began to morph. They stretched, solidified, and formed into heavy red steel armor in size too large for someone of her stature to move around freely. But even this armor will not save her.

To truly come about unscathed, the sheath wielding the large sword on her back came alive. The gears locking the weapon spun and dislodged from its holsters and seals. The World that is Gaia screamed at its presence and at its defilement. But the Servant merely laughed, too excited about the upcoming battle she was about to face. One hand griped the large handle of the blade, and the sword came _alive._

The remaining two orbs of red liquid metal merged together and formed into the shape of a jousting spear twice the size of a normal one and far too heavy for such a small girl such as her to wield without struggle. But this was a Heroic Spirit. With her free hand, she gripped the spear and aimed to intercept the course of the approaching Servant.

Her speed picked up as the spear cut through the wall of air. Her armor came alive to match her goal and morphed into a more aerodynamic shape. Even her mount was having difficulty keeping up.

Alas, the sound of breaking the sound barrier announced her presence.

*Scene*

The King of Swords was running through the forest that bordered Homurahara along with one of his counterparts, Sir Emiya of the Round Table. They had been waiting just outside the forest with the King of Swords keeping track of Archer's presence through the obscure link they all shared with him. None of the Shirous could tell where the other was, but they could all tell where Archer was so long as he wasn't too far out. The exact distance had yet to be determined. As soon as Archer was to come into conflict with any Servant, the King of Swords and Sir Emiya were to go racing through.

If chronological order was still being followed, this world's Emiya Shirou was about to stumble onto the battle and have himself hunted down by Lancer. The King of Swords did not trust Adams in the slightest. There was a strong possibility Adams will mandate Lancer to kill this world's Shirou in order to preserve the secrecy of the War.

There had been a question if they were to save Shirou or let him die and have Rin resurrect him. It had been unanimous to save him; with many having no reason other than it was the right thing to do. As always, the Ash of Miracles was the one who had a strategic point of view. He said it would be better if this Shirou was saved and that way had the opportunity to be properly introduced into the War and, perhaps, summon Saber in a complete contract rather than a rushed, emergency one most of them had gone through.

The King of Swords' admired his credibility to think logically in these situations and to push his emotions aside, but it was from that admiration that had him distrusting the vampire even further. The more he talked the more he resembled Vittorio Serevare.

Root be damned, the Ash of Miracles better not be a sociopath like the Pope of Romalia _or else._

Nearly halfway through the forest, the sound of something bursting open above their heads forced them to stop.

"**Jus Gladii!**"

And dodge.

Tracing a common dagger to activate the runes of the Gandalfr, the King of Swords was twice as fast as his counterpart and had been able to escape whatever had crashed onto the earth in a great eruption. Bits and chunks of the earth sailed past him while some he had to slash away with Derflinger. Sir Emiya, activating his Prana Burst, had been able to get away without much damage. The blast of the impact had sent him stumbling, however. It took a second for him to roll back onto his feet and draw the silver and emerald sword at his hip.

The knight of the Round Table's face paled at the sight of the creature following pace of whatever crashed down. Following his gaze, the King of Swords was speechless at the figure silhouetted by the moon. It stopped its fall with one mighty flap of its great wings, defying laws of momentum with its exhilarating speed and mass.

A dragon. A great, destructive, white _dragon._ Though its size was between a large horse and Tabitha's Rhyme Dragon Sylphid, both Shirous could immediately see the _power _built in each muscle of the scaly beast. Four limbs with razor claws, wings just as long as it was from head to tail, fangs sharper than any blade forged by man, and spikes trailing down its tail. They did not miss the large saddle strapped on its back.

Which meant _someone _had been able to tame and mount this creature.

With the massive wind brought by the dragon, the dust cleared instantly. Standing in a large crater was a figure half the King of Swords' size. A woman with a nubile frame. Silver pauldrons rested on her shoulders, holding her long flowing white cape. A silver breastplate which exposed her stomach and back painted with red thorns. A leather skirt dyed white not too far off from a Roman's with the right side open to expose her entire right thigh. Silver, red, and white greaves, sabatons, and gauntlets with pointed tips. Last, strapped to her back was a large sword sealed in a crimson and silver sheath. The sheath was built with gears, locks, and tumblers resembling more of a safe than an actual sheath.

But it was everything else about her that drove both Shirous into madness. She was blonde with her hair tied back in a tail and a large _ahoge _dangling over her forehead. Her eyes were rich emerald. Her posture was regal, perfect, immaculate, and superior. She was absolutely beautiful.

She looked _exactly _like Arturia.

But then she smiled. Her smile brought the two out of their bearings. That smile was not the soft, gentle kindness fitting that of the King of Britain. That smile, along with the glaze of her eyes, was that of a hungry, carnivorous predator ready to launch at its prey. This was not the gaze of one who had killed to defend their homeland. This was the gaze of one who had killed for the sake of killing.

It sickened them when even her voice was the same as Arturia Pendragon's.

"Do not bore me, Servants!" she roared in anticipation. "This shall be your only warning! Come at me with everything or die by your folly!"

She gave a sharp whistle followed by a click of her tongue. Then _moved._

The King of Swords had a split second to lift Derflinger in front of him before a massive red claymore coming out of seemingly nowhere crashed into him. The white Servant had blasted out of the crater and struck the King of Swords with such force she was driving him back in her charge. His heels dug into the ground as he tried to retain control. Not even finishing the click of the tongue, the dragon opened its mouth and spat a ball of fire faster than any bullet. The explosion tore wood and earth alike, lighting up the night in blinding flames. Sir Emiya _barely _had enough time to move. But he had been knocked away by the concussion and, with great force, crashed into a tree.

His armor did not protect him from concussive force like that. Even with a hasty Reinforcement spell he felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs. But the danger was not over. His body was aching in pain but his mind was screaming at him to move. Ignoring the roaring pain, Sir Emiya dove to the side.

A large wing smacked him back when the dragon had landed and charged at him, blowing trees out of their roots in its attempt to tackle him. Already seeing the boy dodge, it spun on its front legs and whipped its tail about with the spikes angled to hit his side.

Tracing the black shield of Sir Breunor, Sir Emiya was more than lucky the chunk of metal had stopped the tail from slicing him in two. However, the force of the swing still sent him rolling about.

Spinning on his knees and elbows, the Arthurian Shirou dodged yet another swing— this time coming from above to crush his skull. Quickly getting back on his feet faster than he had ever, even during the war against Mordred and all of his monsters, Sir Emiya held the sword of Merlin in one grip and the black shield in his other.

This was truly to be the trial fitting a Knight of the Round Table.

*Scene*

The King of Swords had been able to disengage from the white Servant by digging one heel into the ground and using it as an axis to spin out of the way. The Servant had anticipated his actions and had sent the claymore in his direction. With Derflinger he quickly blocked it and Traced the sword of Attila the Hun, Isten Kardja. The blade was cursed to always draw blood with each swing if, and only if, there was a target to aim for. If not, then the sword will draw blood from its wielder and, on most occasions, kill them.

Shirou had no love for this fake Arturia. For wearing her face and having _that _sickening look in her eyes, he wanted her to bleed.

Her eyes flickered to the blade and Shirou saw recognition and… praise?

But it was too late. She was wide open and had left her ribs exposed. It was an amateurish mistake when using something as slow and large as a claymore in close combat. With Isten Kardja, Shirou went in for the strike.

And had the blade locked in place by a suddenly appearing rapier of the same red color as the claymore.

Shirou disengaged and leapt back to gather distance. He was lucky the Servant did not follow him.

Keeping both Derflinger and Isten Kardja in a defensive manner, Shirou tried to play out what had just happened. The curse of Isten Kardja was supposed to draw blood with each swing, even when the blade had been blocked or parried by anything. There was no wound on the Servant and Shirou hadn't been hurt by the backlash curse of the blade either. No blood had been spilt.

It wasn't until he had been using Structural Analysis on the Servant's weapons on instinct that he found his answer. And he wanted to hurl. The weapons in her hands were weapons his Reality Marble will not accept because they are not weapons by design. Swords, daggers, lances, shields— anything designed to be used in warfare other than modern technology such as artillery or machinery would be recorded. Though her 'weapons' were in the shape of two different swords, they were not 'swords' in itself.

It was blood. Gallons and gallons of blood, stolen, pillaged, gorged out of victims in countless sums compressed and solidified through some sort of disgusting ritual. Shirou could almost hear the screams of the _thousands _in each sword as he analyzed the recorded history in each blade. He could not see beyond a mist of confusion, as it was not a conceptual weapon, but he could see hints and glimmers. Yes, this was blood that could _conveniently _take on the form of a weapon of the wielder's choosing, which was why his Reality Marble was rejecting its existence.

And there were _two more _of those 'weapons' floating behind her. Spheres of blood as large as his hand. Blood capable of taking the form of swords— capable of negating the curse of Isten Kardja since the Sword of Attila ate the blood of _one _victim out of _thousands_.

"What are you?" Shirou growled. The runes of the Gandalfr flared at his rage. He had never met anyone hungrier to wound and kill another with such passion and to such a degree, save Kotomine Kirei. The Dead Apostles and the Ancestors even had a policy to never take so many lives else expose their existence. The Founder Brimir and the Pope Vittorio had been willing to commit genocide, but even they had felt great woe.

This one… was unforgiveable.

Her smile slackened, but did not fall. She seemed amused. "I feel my Class as a Servant is not fitting to one such as I. So, it is only fair, right, and just to assign my own Class, is it not?" Folding the claymore over her body and the rapier over her chest, yet not lowering her guard in the slightest, she gave a knightly bow. "Servant of Slaying, the Artorius."

Artorius. She looks like Saber, she sounds like Saber, she fights with as much ferocity as Saber, and she calls herself the _Artorius._

"Lucius Artorius Castus," Shirou said aloud.

The great ancestor to King Arthur, the Roman commander who led many legions across the known world, conquering lands in the name of Rome, who placed absolute order as Prefect of Briton, who wiped out armies who dared to defy the Roman Empire was this girl.

This blood-hungry _psychopath _who turned the blood of those she conquered— innocent, guilty, defenders of their home, enemies of Rome, and even former comrades— into red, shape shifting mass.

"Lucia," Artorius corrected with a _friendly _smile.

"Oi, Parnter, snap out of it," Derflinger tried to get the attention of his handler.

But Shirou was lost in his rage. His circuits surged as Od pumped through his body, pushing his Reinforcement above the safety meters, and his Gandalfr runes now shining so bright it closer resembled a glove of light.

Artorius smiled a toothy grin. Her eyes snapped wide with anticipation and joy. She could feel Shirou's rage grow, making him stronger and dangerously unstable. He was going to kill her. He was going to put his all into killing this Servant. She was beyond salvation.

She could not be forgiven.

Artorius gave three sharp whistles, one long whistle, and another sharp one. A roar could be heard in the distance.

Shirou released the Sword of Attila and replaced it with the Russian sword Kladenets. It had a similar curse to draw blood, but this one was more _driven_ than its predecessor. It craved bloodshed enough to strengthen the wielder to great lengths until a lethal strike had been given. With the Gandalfr runes maximizing his attributes and the Kladenets fueling his own drive to slay Artorius, Shirou leapt at the Servant with enough force to send the earth under his feet exploding.

Artorius met his challenge with an even greater smile.

*Scene*

The guys back in Camelot _may have… _been modest when telling their stories about the art of dragon slaying. Shirou always knew dragons were the greatest and most powerful of the beasts in the world. But the way his fellow knights had mentioned them made them sound like pushovers. Sure they struggled a little, but in the end they were always victorious. Their very modest stories made what nonsense Sir Kay said about him killing (supposedly) a dragon outrageous.

Sir Kay's tall tale didn't sound so ridiculous now.

Reinforcing the black shield of Sir Breunor le Noir did very little stopping another swing of the tail from knocking the wind out of Sir Emiya. The white reptile was too fast for him to take a swing at it and the force of each blow was like his first day of training with Lancelot.

Except if he messed up even once he'll be dead.

Bouncing off the ground once, Shirou used the momentum to get back up onto his feet and ready himself for the next strike. Splinters flew everywhere as the beast swung its tail once more in a wide arc. He ducked and felt the wind clip a few strands of his hair, forcing him to his knees. But with a Prana Burst, he bolted straight for the dragon with the sword of Merlin extended for its soft underbelly.

No matter how fast Shirou was, the dragon was _leagues _faster than he was. With one single flap of its wings, it flew up into the air with enough force to divert him from his path. It flipped around in the air and brought its tail down to hammer him while he was still in the process of stumbling. Another instant Prana Burst shoving through his limbs saved him as he dove to the side. The whip-like tail blew dirt and rock everywhere. To regain its balance, the dragon landed.

"Haaaaaa!" Shirou sprinted with all his might. Reinforcement and Prana Burst pushing his limits and sending his legs on fire. Prana Burst was a technique only the best of the Knights of the Round Table could pull off due to its high prana cost as well as its physical conditioning. It sent surges of Od exploding out of the limbs to significantly enhance the performance of any given action for an instant. However, it required years of conditioning for the body to tolerate its heavy toll— else bones shatter and muscles tear.

Shirou had known Prana Burst for no longer than 48 hours, having seen the technique performed by Sir Bedivere in the war against Mordred.

The pain did not stop him. He ran at the beast with the determination to slay the beast. It swerved its large body as though it were a snake to dodge his lunge. That didn't stop him. Prana Burst propelled his arm to swing the blade of Merlin fast enough to shriek through the air. A stream of silver howled as the emeralds blazed with his Od fueling it.

The dragon snapped its jaws at Shirou. Its fangs clipped at the blade, overpowering even a Prana Burst-powered swing and disarming him. The blade of Merlin flew back and lodged itself into a tree.

Followed by a wing to the face.

Shirou was blown to the side, the feeling of weightlessness granting him a sort of temporary euphoria as though he had not tired himself out for the past five minutes. And then the pain came crashing back tenfold. He hit _something _as his body met the ground, bouncing around in his armor, and finally skidding through the mud.

He grunted, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to— '_Move, damn it!' _With the lag of his body and the pain compelling him to stay down, he barely managed to get out of the way of the dragon's charge.

He brought the shield up to block one last swing of its tail before the Traced Noble Phantasm shattered into Prana particles, cutting his face as it splashed out like broken glass.

At this point, one would liken him to a rag doll. Once again Shirou was thrown off his feet with nothing to protect him. He collided with a tree and heard something crack, praying it was coming from the wood and not him.

With one more Prana Burst, Sir Emiya dove once more as the relentless beast snapped its jaws where he had once been, taking large chunks of wood in its bite.

A second! He had a chance to turn things around.

Ignoring his body's plea for breath, Shirou activated all of his aching circuits for one last chance.

"Trace… On!"

' _Judging the concept of creation_

_ Hypothesizing the basic structure_

_ Duplicating the composition material_

_ Imitating the skill of its making_

_ Sympathizing with the experience of its growth_

_ Reproducing the accumulated years_

_ Excelling every manufacturing process'_

In his hand came one of the few Noble Phantasms he could ever replicate without problems. He was more familiar with this weapon than he was with the sword Merlin gave him. He had used this blade in many of his trials in becoming a knight and it had, in return, gave him its strength to conquer those challenges. Now, with facing his greatest yet, the blade resonated in his hands and gave him power to match the beast. With this, he could slay it.

In his hands was the black cursed blade of Lancelot of the Lake, Arondight.

And it was singing in praise. The dragon-slaying sword was confronting a _dragon._

With the speed and strength of Lancelot coursing through his body, Shirou charged with a howl of a battle cry from his lungs. Arondight swung faster than Shirou had ever delivered it before, demanding the blood of the dragon.

In return, the white beast snapped its jaws once more at Shirou. Black steel of the fae met the teeth of a dragon, sending sparks of red and black everywhere. Shirou, coursing the skill of Lancelot through his body, immediately retaliated with another swing. The dragon met it once more and deflected it with its monstrous power and agility.

Swing after swing, so fast his arms were one continuous blur, Shirou threw Arondight at the reptile with newfound fire. With Prana Burst he was _pushing _the monster back. When it backed up, it swung its tail at his blind side. Shirou parried but could not cut the tail as it had been locked between two of its spikes. In this moment, the dragon went in for a serpent's strike to his head. Sir Emiya of the Round Table had met its attempt with another blow to its jaw.

Shirou panted as his arms were growing heavy and his lungs were burning. But if he could not fell such a beast then he had no right to call himself a Knight of the Round Table!

In the distant, a series of whistles could be heard.

The dragon roared and took off into the air as soon as another blow had been diverted. Shirou growled in frustration and readied himself for what was to come.

But instead, the dragon went straight up into the air and started to head towards the direction where the King of Swords had been driven to.

Sir Emiya allowed himself a smile. If the fake King Arthur was calling for her pet so soon, it meant she was in danger and needed help. But if that monster made it back, then the King of Swords would be in trouble.

Ignoring the pain of his knees, the Knight of the Round bolted from his place with a Prana Burst.

*Scene*

"This side needs to be revised," said the King of Steel to the others. "I don't think the runes are set up correctly."

The Ash of Miracles was getting frustrated. While the King of Swords and the Arthurian were off playing hero, he was stuck here completing that Bounded Field. He knew he was going to reinforce Rin's protections sooner or later. He had planned to with or without the consent of his others. It was just that he was so _tired._ Without the Shroud of Martin impeding his vampiric drive and absorbing some of the radiance of the moon, he thought he had more than enough stamina to construct a damn fine Bounded Field. Already with the curse of Angra Mainyu being 'super-charged' by Gram, no enemy Servant could cross into Rin's territory without some serious hindrance to all of their abilities. Even Saber with her A-Rank Magic Resistance would lose a rank in all of her parameters.

But gods were, apparently, on different levels of Heroic Spirits.

Since the end of dinner, the Ash of Miracles had been out here circling around the yard while constructing his own Bounded Field. He had yet to actually build the 'wall' which was mainly the trigger for activating the barrier. All he had been doing for the past several hours was crafting layers upon layers of seals, traps, commands, protections— practically everything from the book.

He understood the Campione's perspective. He really did. But after hours of criticizing his work he was tempted to turn the thing on early. He even had an excuse in mind ready.

'_I needed to test if it would affect you, a God Slayer with Divine powers,' _he would say.

Apparently the King of Steel also had a degree in Runecraft. Who'da bloody thunk?!

The Ash of Miracles was mostly frustrated because he was _thirsty _and hadn't had a good night's sleep for a few days. That Dead Apostle he was hunting before did not make his job any easier by getting away. Tracking him down had been a _bitch._

"You're the one who drew it!" he hissed under his teeth.

"Are you all right?"

The Ancestor scratched his head and turned around to see King Apeiron looking at him with concern. He waved a hand to put him at ease. "Yeah. Getting tired. Building something like this takes up a lot of mana— a lot more than I imagined. So far we've burned through three times more than I used to build the one back home. And we're just setting up the prototype."

Both the Campione and King Apeiron had been a _huge _help. Their reserves were ridiculously large. The Ash of Miracles had used this to his advantage by writing the sequence of runes he wanted on a notebook, showing it to them, and then having them use their own reserves to etch them wherever he directed. The complicated part was coordinating every rune's position and in what order they were to be drawn. Much like the honeycomb theory with the resonating Mystic Codes, the library-worthy of runes had to be created just right to link to another. If one was placed too far in advanced without some sort of stabilizer or support, everything can be crashing down.

It's like calculus all over again…

It should be mentioned the final Shirou of the group, Troper, was not around to help. After dinner he had bolted out of the door, removed a tarp disguised as a bush around the corner to reveal a bicycle with a propeller above it, and took off in haste. He did not say where he was going. No one could have asked because they were shocked such a ludicrous device had, against the laws of aviation, been able to propel him off the ground.

"It's fine, Shirou," the Ash of Miracles flipped through the pages of his notebook. The runes his counterpart was mention was a set used for connecting organic matter and metal together. Alone, it could have melded flesh and steel together. But in this giant web of (what was starting to look like gibber) spell work it was but a cog in a grand machine. Small, but needed.

"Go on to the next one marked on your map," he said. "We have about thirty seconds before that 'flare' you just wrote before stopping really does a number on us. As in, blow us all to smithereens, number."

The King of Steel fumbled with the parchments in his hand, locating the map and then the next set he was supposed to work on. In frenzy, he took off towards the western section of the house.

"Do you need me to trace any Mystic Codes or Noble Phantasms?" asked King Apeiron.

The Ash of Miracles thought about it for a second, but shook his head. "There's no need, but thank you. At least for now. I'm not going to pretend this thing can actually stop something like a god from using something like a Command Seal against us. My knowledge on Bounded Fields is nowhere near on par with the mysteries from the Age of the Gods. But at least it can stop anything the War can throw at us."

He looked up in thought, "I wonder if Saber's **Excalibur **could tear it down when it's done…?" He shrugged and went back to his notebook. "Probably. It is an Anti-Fortress attack."

There was a silence between the two. The vampire had taken immediate notice of it but had chosen to play ignorant. If asked, he will blame his fatigue. But… perhaps it was because this was _Shirou _and not someone else the Ash of Miracles could feint negligence. This was a silence of burden, one that could not be extinguished by pretending it wasn't there.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

The amount of emotions flashing through King Apeiron's eyes told him everything. Doubt, fear, hesitation, sorrow, and jealousy. The champion of the Fae did well to mask them all, better than most Magi living in the modern world could have (like Rin), but the Ash of Miracles had eyes too sharp to not already play out what the conversation would lead to.

"You said you were living happily with Rin, Sakura, Rider, and Saber," King Apeiron started, as predicted.

The Ancestor lowered his notebook. All of his experience dealing with negotiations from the Clock Tower, the Church, and the slightly less hostile Ancestors had him running maps of routes to drive this conversation. From the right words to the right responses to the right gestures and emotions could control however he wanted it to go. Just a few words and he could end the conversation, could leave King Apeiron stunned in place in shock, could bring him out to rage, could leave him satisfied, could have him become a pawn or greatest friend if the Ash of Miracles so chose.

Instead, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and abandoned all those thoughts. He couldn't be like all those other Magi from the Clock Tower. Especially to an alternative to himself. What would happen if he had been in his place? What if he had lost Rin or Sakura?

"And Illya. We all have our problems like everyone else," he started. "Rin is Rin, Sakura is still sweet but a yandere, Rider keeps to herself but I enjoy our conversations, Illya still pretends she's a little girl even with an aging body, and Saber is still a glutton." He snickered. "There's really not much to say about it. We all have our lives. Rin leads a research division back in the Clock Tower, naturally rivaling the one led by Luvia. I see her whenever I have to pay a visit to the Queen. On occasion Saber joins me on Apostle hunts and rouge Sealing Designates. Rider and Sakura mostly stay at the Emiya estate looking over the house while I'm away. Illya travels the world mostly, and I get a postcard from her every few weeks.

"But on those rare days we all come together to have dinner. Sometimes Luvia visits. Sometimes Waver-nii and Bazett-nee join as well. Sometimes we'll all head to the Clock Tower to see Sirius-jiji. Yes, those four girls have stolen the kitchen from me, but I'll not fight them for it. I enjoy their company every day and I'll not trade it for anything."

He looked straight at his other self, "We're all happy. Granted, happiness came at a price, but we've come over it. Being here, at the start of the War all over again, I fully intent to make sure the Shirou of this world gets the same happy ending. I will save Illya and Sakura. I'll stop Saber from dooming herself. Shirou will not become like Archer. The Grail will be destroyed and Gilgamesh defeated. And I'll be damned if anything happens to Rin."

"You said Rin was getting soft in her old age," the red Shirou gave a light chuckle to loosen the tension.

"I said I _thought _she was," he countered with his own smile. "But this Rin and my Rin have the exact same personality. Nothing has changed, apparently." He shrugged.

"Exactly… how old… are you?"

The Ash of Miracles began scribbling, pretending to not have heard his low-volume question.

King Apeiron had something more to say, but something else had stolen their attention. In the distant there was a blink of light almost like the flash of a camera. A second later a loud boom hit their ears, followed by a mighty gust fluttering their clothes. The direction had come from the academy.

"Go," said the Ash of Miracles. "I need to finish stabilizing the runes and you're probably faster than me. Take the King of Steel with you."

"On it," King Apeiron took off at a speed matching that of a Heroic Spirit. The King of Steel only needed one look to understand the situation and followed closely behind, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

As much as he wanted to join them, the Ash of Miracles had a job to do already. Without his supervision on the incomplete Bounded Field it will collapse on itself and force Rin's house to implode. Followed by an explosion about ten times as destructive, probably taking out a few acres of land in its wake. He was deeply worried about the neighboring residents surrounding Rin's manor, Sakura specifically, but was a thousand times more worried about what would happen if Rin found out while she was gone.

He felt a rock plummet into his stomach at the thought.

Yet, not even the fear of Rin could make him continue to work. Something was wrong. In one moment he had been calculating possibilities that could have been the explosion to his plans for the War and in the next it had all just _stopped. _He was frozen. No, more like the concept of time ruling over him had seized to be. The World that was Gaia was rejecting him.

Now? All of a sudden? It wasn't just rejecting him from this world to return to his. It saw him as a flaw and was trying to expel his existence entirely.

Slowly, but surely in a matter of moments, he will seize to exist.

And he was helpless against it.

*Scene*

**"I am the bone of my sword."**

The King of Swords chanted as he brought out Thuận Thiên from his Reality Marble. The sword, also known as Heaven's Will, was wielded by the Vietnamese king Le Loi when he liberated the land from the Ming rule. In its legend, Le Loi grew taller and had the strength of a thousand men when holding onto this blade. As legends usually go, it was exaggerated. He grew 'taller' for gaining a powerful aura of charisma which gave him the confidence to revolt against the Ming and had 'strength' because he used no less than a thousand men in the battle.

Of course, this was a Noble Phantasm— a crystalized legend given form based on the wishes of humanity.

With two hands, Shirou swung Heaven's Will in a wide arc at such ferocity sonic booms of vacuums sliced trees in half around them. With the significant boost from the Noble Phantasm as well as the amplifier of the Gandalfr runes, the blade of iron clanged against the equally massive blade of blood. A thunderous roar tore the land around them at the collision as Artorius had matched the sudden change in strength in equal value.

Shirou pulled back and swung again in an attack that would have made Heracles proud. Another explosion of concussive force nearly knocked him around when their blades met once more if he had not also Traced Le Loi's combat abilities. The air distorted for a second, but Artorius' gleeful smile could not be missed.

He hissed in annoyance. She was just toying with him.

Again and again he swung in flows that tore the forest apart. Each swing sent secondary blades of wind and concussions when the two forces collided. Shirou did not have the endurance of a Servant like Artorius. The Gandalfr runes made him more resilient to physical blows but it was more as a minor enhancement to his natural durability. His arms were aching, his bones were creaking, and there was already plenty of blood trickling down his face from the wind and shards.

But he would not give up.

**"Steel is my body, and fire is my heart."**

Projecting around him were five copies of a kris Noble Phantasm, the Keris Taming Sari. It was a weapon named after its original wielder that had been lost and traded countless of times throughout the ages and now resides in the royal treasury or Perak, Malasia. Taming Sari when placed in its sheath will prevent any form of physical harm to its owner. As useful as it would be right now, especially when getting torn apart by his own doing, Shirou had a use for its second ability.

"**Taming Sari!**"

Activating five copies as well as draining a fair chunk of his Od, the swords came alive and hurled directly at Artorius. She saw them coming; releasing one arm to swing it to her right, one of the blood orbs came to her aid and formed as a parrying dagger in her grip. All five blades were deflected at a speed so swift it looked like she had performed Second Magic. Shirou took this chance to send his own strike with the Heaven's Will. No longer having the reinforcement of both arms on her zweihander, Artorius could only push Heaven's Will to the side, blowing dirt everywhere when it hit the ground.

The Taming Sari blades came back for another strike while she was wide open. Her eyes widened, but her smile grew twice as big. Taming Sari's second ability was to fight without having being wielded. With half the strength of its handler, Taming Sari fought instead with the same speed and skill as though being used by a phantom. But Shirou was the Gandalfr, not Myoznitnirn. As such the blades only gained his mundane combat abilities when the Gandalfr runes weren't activating.

Still, they could perform C-Rank damage. Artorius might have high Endurance, but even she could not be impervious to such attacks.

With the same speed as before, Artorius deflected the Taming Sari while dodging those she could not. Not missing his chance, Shirou swung Heaven's Will one last time with full force.

Artorius had just enough time to lift her zweihander. Heaven's Will struck the blade square at its flat surface and forced her off her feet. She flew several meters, shredding trees in her path, and finally dug her red sword into the ground to halt her retreat.

"Partner look out!"

Instinct screamed at him as the hairs on his neck stood up. When a six thousand year-old blade, who had been through countless conflicts and knows death better than any living individual, tells you to dodge, you _dodge._

Shirou sprung backwards using the strength of Heaven's Will. He felt the burns surface on his face and hands and embers eating at the tips of his cloak. A blast of white flames came from the sky and burst right where he had been standing. Three of the five kris blades had been destroyed and a new crater leveled the field.

Shirou readied himself as the white dragon of Artorius flew down into the open field to stand between him and its master. It gave a low growl as it stood ready to pounce at him at any given command.

Coming to his side in heavy pants was his counterpart with his armor in pieces, bleeding just as much as the King of Swords, and pale from prana exhaustion. The Gandalfr took note he had Arondight in his grip and the silver blade he kept with him was missing.

It was then the King of Swords noticed how worn-down he was as well. He was bleeding from minor cuts but would have to be treated as soon as the battle was over, his muscles were probably torn from strain, and his body was overheating from using so much Od. Heaven's Will had a high cost with each swing— it was like a manifestation of the Prana Burst skill. This deep into the battle and a little over a third of his reserves had been wasted; and Artorius did not even look winded.

He had no choice but to let them dissolve into prana particles and redraw Derflinger.

Artorius released her blades to return to their floating spherical forms as she approached her beast. A loving hand of hers trailed from its back and slid up to its snout. Her amused smirk and elated eyes never left the King of Swords'.

"_Graci, Vincitore," _she spoke in Italian to the dragon, tilting her head just slightly in its direction while never looking away.

Both Shirous tensed as a wave of killing intent came rushing through them.

_"Cacciarli," _her command came with tender passion.

The dragon was upon the two of them faster than they could react. It bit into Sir Emiya's shoulder, piercing through his armor and digging is razor fangs into his flesh. Simultaneously, a large wing swatted at the King of Swords. Derflinger could not even cut into the softest region between its cartilage. Though nowhere near as powerful as Artorius had been, the dragon was capable of knocking him aside. And before Sir Emiya could recover, the dragon flung him towards the King of Swords with a whip of its head.

The two Shirous came tumbling over the other.

And had Artorius charging at them with a pair of broadswords— one in exact shape as Derflinger and the other mocking Arondight.

The King of Swords Traced a nameless straight sword in haste to block the two blood blades with his counterpart still sprawled over him. Derflinger clanked with his fake self but the straight sword shattered by the fake Arondight and nicked his knuckles. Sir Emiya flipped himself over and used the momentum to swing his Traced Arondight at her, which she dodged and countered with a swing to his lower torso.

The King of Swords saved him by deflecting it with Derflinger, ignoring the blazing of his hand and the blood beginning to soak the grip. But now he was open, and Artorius took the opening to slash at his neck. Swinging over his counterpart by less than an inch, Sir Emiya of the Round had scantly saved him. But even with the strength of Lancelot he could not overpower Artorius with just one arm.

A toothy smile of a predator split her face.

"Oi you crazy brod!" cried Derflinger when his blood reflection rammed again. "I do _not _look this ugly!"

Blood Derflinger met real Derflinger and Blood Arondight met its match. Even with two on one, Artorius was matching them with everything they threw at her. When the King of Swords Traced Sir Emiya's silver sword of Merlin to duel-wield with Derflinger, Artorius still had no trouble against them. She showed phenomenal skill and tactics with the way she was blocking and using her footwork to go against their awkward teamwork.

Not to mention her dragon joined in the second the King of Swords had his back facing it.

That tail nearly took his head off if he hadn't ducked. It showed its own precision of battle skill when this Shirou took notice the extension of the tail was just long enough to reach him but not its master, who was hardly a meter away from him. Naturally, Artorius went in for a stab that very second. The King of Swords parried and rolled aside as the tail came back to crush him in an arc from above. She knocked Sir Emiya's attack over, forcing his arm to extend over his head.

She hesitated. Unsure which one of the two to cut.

**"I have created over a thousand blades."**

Releasing the blade of Merlin and dropping Derflinger, the one-hundred and fifty inch katana of Kojiro Sasaki, the Monohoshi Zao, Projected in his grip. The land had been flattened out from their battle. The memories, experience, skills, and attributes of the Heroic Spirit of the katana flooded through the King of Swords. His stance was correct. The runes of the Gandalfr assured him he was about to fulfill an attack only the former Assassin of his War could perform.

And Artorius had hesitated. The dragon had yet to position itself to move anywhere from its last attack.

**"Tsubame Gaeshi!"**

A horizontal swing. A vertical swing. A diagonal swing.

The ultimate technique of Kojiro Sasaki matched the mysteries only capable through Second Magic, the Kaleidoscope. Three slashes executed at parallel time as though unleashed by three separate entities simultaneously within the same space. The Gandalfr replicated this technique down to the final detail, executing it without hindrance. Even the pain was not an issue.

But the technique belonging to one Heroic Spirit can be overcome if used against an equal or greater being, such as another Heroic Spirit.

Against all odds, against the narrow limit of time and luck, Artorius had dove herself through the miniscule hole of the technique not even Sasaki knew existed. She did not have time to retreat backwards nor could she have possibly parried all three blows. And so she had taken her only option without the hesitation she had shown before. The technique was designed to cut through the wind-sensitive sparrows by trapping it in a cage of slashes. It had been impossible for them to escape.

But apparently Artorius didn't apply.

Still, the dive had been quick, almost as if her body had been pulled by strings of instinct, and her entrance had been sloppy. Her recovery more so. Attempting to turn the dive into a stab, she had missed a vital and instead spliced the Blood Arondight through his waist. The tucked her legs in and rolled under the tail that struck both the King of Swords and Sir Emiya. The wind knocked out of them, spikes digging into their limbs, and metal plates of Sir Emiya's armor tearing off, the two flew for nearly three meters before being reunited with the unfriendly ground.

"_Bravo!" _Artorius stood and applauded as though she had been thoroughly entertained. The clanging of her gauntlets clapping echoed through the empty forest. "_Meraviglioso!_" The false Derflinger and Arondight returned to spheres. Her smile had changed from thrilled and bloodthirsty to one of pleasure and satisfaction.

"This War produces most wondrous Servants," she continued. "Alas, my Bloodlust is still too high for me to return to _mi Maestro_. Forgive me for an unfair defeat, but it must be done. Rejoice, for you have earned the respect of _sans Atorii_!"

The Shirous grunted as they struggled to stand. Sir Emiya using Arondight as a crutch and the King of Swords leaning mostly on his right leg.

Artorius whistled— this time in a song.

The white dragon roared and took to the sky higher and faster than they had seen it soar. One of the four red orbs followed, revolving around its body.

Neither knew what was about to transpire. They could only assume Artorius was about to unleash her Noble Phantasm. However, the King of Swords believed she was going to stop playing with them and go all out to kill them. Throughout the battle he had seen her match him on equal footing no matter what weapon had been used. She clearly had the strength to match the A++ blows created by Heaven's Will, yet she did not use it when he had only been using Derflinger.

She clearly could have killed them both a hundred times over and had instead sported fairly against them using skill alone.

But now that gift was gone.

**"Unaware of loss, Nor aware of gain."**

The King of Swords continued his aria and delved deep into the Unlimited Blade Works for what he needed. The blueprints for the axe-sword of Heracles came to his mind. He only needed to pull the trigger to bring it out and unleash the technique that could save their lives, **Nine Lives (Blade Works)**.

"There is nothing you can do," she said with sorrow, actually saddened on their assumed, predetermined defeat.

Two of the red orbs circling around her came down and started to latch onto her clothing. They spread out, moved and bubbled like blown glass, melded and reformed just their bladed shapes. This time, they were taking on the form of armor to completely coat her, tracing over her cloth and armor as well as coating over her skin. The armor was blocky and designed specifically to block whatever was going to be unleashed _in front._

The last of the red orbs came down when she extended a bulky gloved hand. It too began to grow and shape. Into the shape of a massive great shield.

"Fair thee well," her voice was muffled by the armor. "You showed potential in becoming another of my wives."

She knelt down and slammed the shield into the ground.

'_Shit!' _they both realized what it meant.

They had enough time to look up and see. High above them, the dragon had reached its peak at fifty meters over their heads. The Arthurian Shirou would not be able to understand what was happening, but the King of Swords knew and felt a lump of ice land in his stomach. The dragon opened its mouth and had snatched the blood orb Noble Phantasm into its jaws.

Those of the dragonkind have astounding characteristics only the greatest of beings in all of time could either replicate or surpass. The most noteworthy would be the Dragon's Breath. A dragon's lungs are treated as an entirely different dimension with its own _universe _of energy. Therefore, a dragon can produce endless supplies of prana.

All that prana was being pumped into Artorius' Noble Phantasm. Filling it beyond its limits, making it unstable, making it erratic—

Making it **Broken.**

Surrounded in a Dragon's Breath of white flames, Artorius' dragon fired the Broken Phantasm down onto Sir Emiya of the Round Table and the Gandalfr at a speed that broke the sound barrier upon release.

**"Just Gladii!" **announced Artorius.

Circuits flared as the King of Swords made a desperate move to save them both. Parallel to, Sir Emiya shattered the bones in his arm by activating his last Prana Burst and chucking Arondight to intercept the missile.

**"Rho Aias!"**

The circuitry of veins which made up his Magic Circuits glowed across his arm as he pulled his only defensive Noble Phantasm from the red hill. The seven layered shield of Ajax transformed when crystalized into a Noble Phantasm with each layer equivalent to the reinforced walls of a fortress.

Arondight shattered when it made contact with the Broken Phantasm missile, but it was more than enough to have it explode prematurely. A storm of white and red rocked them senseless. Even several feet beyond them, the blast had been destructive enough to tear through the first four layers of Rho Aias. The world vibrated as the torrent ate away everything. Even behind the barrier Noble Phantasm, Shirou could not stop himself from shaking and had punishing difficulty staying on his feet.

Layer five shattered with six straining.

And layer six shattered before anything could be done.

The King of Swords _swore _he was not going to die like this. He channeled more of his Od into the final layer of Rho Aias, making it just as unstable and turning it into a Broken Phantasm. He roared in defiance, Reinforced every bit of his clothes, his skin, his hair— everything he could to enhance his durability for what was inevitable.

The final layer was destroyed and both Shirou were swept away.

*Scene*

Rin was still debating whether she had imagined the white flash until the deafening _boom _behind the school sent her tumbling everywhere. Archer had been there to catch her and to shield her from the rain of glass the explosion had shattered from the building towering over them. Even Lancer had stopped when she was about to use her Noble Phantasm to brace herself.

It was called Dolorous-something. It was interrupted before Lancer could use it.

As quickly as it had come, it passed. Archer released Rin but she clung onto his arms as she had been dazed and disoriented. She will never admit it, but she was also a little frightened.

Lancer's attention was drawn away from the two when the sound of glass brushing against cement came from beyond the fence. Small groans came from a young man who had been caught in the blast but, luckily, had avoided most of the collateral damage.

Unfortunately, he had also potentially witnessed a match between Servants.

"I will do no such thing," said Lancer to her Master. She blinked, paused, and then hissed. "I am nothing like you, _sinner. _I shall not—" But then her eyes went wide and her head snapped at the witness. She grimaced but nodded in determination. "A moot point, but I must… concur with your statement; we've not the luxury of time with the potential of a threat. Very well. For the greater good his life will be forfeited."

Sensing his doom, the witness fumbled to stand and took off running back into the academy building. Lancer tucked her spear under her arm and gave chase, ignoring Archer.

Archer let her go as he had to deal with his own Master. "Rin, Lancer is going to—"

"What!" shouted Rin.

"I said Lancer—"

"Speak up!" she shouted again as she began to rub her ears. "I can't hear you."

"Oh for the love of…" Archer slipped into the mental link between Master and Servant, _'RIN!'_

_ 'Ow! What?!' _she nearly jumped as the voice in her head boomed nearly as loud as the explosion.

_'Now that I have your attention, Lancer just took off running towards the school. Someone else was here and had seen our fight. Based on the conversation she must have been having with her Master, I'm guessing she's going to kill the fool.'_

Rin scowled, _'Archer, go after Lancer. Stop her. We can find out what other Servants were here after.'_

Archer nodded firmly and disappeared into black and red particles. But without his support, Rin quickly lost her balance and stumbled to her knees. Glass cut into her legs and palms. The pain was the only thing keeping her from throwing up her dinner.

*Scene*

Artorius looked down at the dying boy before her. This poor unfortunate soul had been at the wrong place at the wrong time. The Fates were cruel but their rule was absolute. Even the gods, both True and Fake, could not defy them when their time came. Even the mighty Heroes, who had conquered death on occasion, could not evade it forever. Even someone as insignificant, capable of hiding in plain sight from his unworthiness, could not escape the clutches of the dark.

Except for Artorius.

Still hungry for battle, she had returned to observe the battle between Lancer and the red Servant. She had planned on intervening and challenge the red Servant. Now she had recognized the fighting style and craft used in his techniques. Those white and black swords were of the _exact _craft her recent foes had used against her. The form and muscle tone were different, but the facial structure as well as the body's bone stature was the same as the False Archer. Artorius could only conclude they were the same Servant with extensions of him.

But this boy both answered and provided questions. Moments after a Broken Dux Legionum, the two False Servants were starting to fade. Definitely not the same way a Servant fades after being defeated. Servants dissolve into prana to be absorbed by the Grail. They don't flicker between solid, transparent, to invisible. And both of them had indeed survived the Broken Phantasm. Albeit the one with runes was beaten beyond recognition and the armored one could no longer stand.

Pleased beyond words, she granted them mercy and let them live.

This dying boy _was _the incarnation of the Servants she faced. Artorius had watched as Lancer pursued him through the hallways and pierced his heart with a throw of her spear. A brow had been quirked when the boy's body had been impaled to the wall. She watched as he panicked and tried to pull it out. A sad, pointless attempt, but she admired his determination.

Lancer said a few words, prayers and apologies for the deceased, and pulled her weapon out of his torso. His blood leaked out faster. It was by this point the red Servant appeared and drove off Lancer. The two had jumped out of the windows in their silly squabble.

By now Artorius stared at the boy who will one day become a Heroic Spirit, contemplating on what to do. On one hand, when this boy dies his future selves will seize to exist and thus removing a potential threat from Artorius claiming the Grail for her Liege. On the other, removing him also removes the worthy challengers she just faced. They survived and had learned of her abilities; the next time they battled they will be better prepared and might be able to make her bend a knee.

By glory, if they could force her to draw her sword…

Her mind was made up. This boy shall live. She placed a hand on the hilt of the sword strapped to her back. Blutgericht unbound the seals placed and exposed Jus Gladii once more to the world. And once again, the World snarled at its existence.

*Scene*

Rin froze when she turned the corner and nearly ran into another Servant. She was shorter than Rin, admittedly beautiful, and clad in pristine white and silver armor. She could only be a Servant. Not just because of her overwhelming aura, or the thick scent of salt and rust in the air, but because Rin had caught the instant where she was placing that _thing _back into that monstrous chunk of metal that was a sheath. Only a Noble Phantasm could radiate such grand levels of prana that slanted the world.

And she was clutching her stomach and _laughing. _Perverse joy rang through the hallways as her knees were buckling. A second scent of honey and musk complimented the rust and salt.

The Servant turned. Her luscious emerald eyes observed Rin— like a piece of meat and judged what spices to use to cook her.

Rin had to take a step back.

"Master of the red Servant," she _smiled. _A smile so sinister, so carnivorous, so _hungry _it couldn't be real. "Join me at the estate of this young one and bring your Servant. I shall do battle with him and see if he is worthy of being my wife or mount above _mi Maestro _fireplace. Refuse and I shall end this one's life."

Like hell Rin was going to follow something like that. If she was going to follow this Servant anywhere it would obviously lead to a trap. And, though she wanted to minimize the casualties of the war, the life of this random student who stayed too late wasn't worth it. She didn't like it, but she wasn't going to throw her life away for someone she didn't—

"Emiya Shirou," the Servant said the name with such _love _it was like a drug.

Rin's eyes widened. Impossible. How could have this Servant known the identity of Archer? Unless they had met somewhere wherever Archer had come from? Had Archer met her somewhere when he was alive? Unless…

Her eyes wandered from the Servant to the body seated against the wall behind her. He was a young man about her age still dressed in the academy uniform. He had a mop of rust-red hair.

Emiya Shirou. _Her _Emiya Shirou.

"That is the name of your Servant, is it not?" the Servant continued with casual suave. "Yes, your eyes say everything. You also know this is the boy who will one day rise to the Throne to become the red one you summoned. I have spared him. But I shall not do so again. If you do not come, I shall end his life. I shall end the life of not just the red one in doing so, but of the other False Servants linked in his legend. You shall have thirty minutes to decide. I will not be kept waiting."

Turning her back towards Rin, she approached the unconscious boy and threw him over her shoulders. And with a great leap, she took off out of the window.

Rin had to fight back the bile rising. Archer and Lancer radiated power as Heroic Spirits, but this unknown Servant had leaked a heavy miasma that made Rin nearly faint. It was the fear that kept her standing. And now it was the will to save the fool that caused her so much trouble for the past few days.

_'Archer,' _she called her Servant.

_'Rin, I lost Lancer,' _he reported.

_'Never mind her. We have a bigger problem.'_

_ 'You mean that explosion? We better hurry if we're going to investigate it. I can see the authorities approaching and will be here in ten minutes.'_

_ 'I met the Servant who may have caused it,' _her tone turned grim as she paused for a moment. The radiance of the Servant still lingered in the back of her mind. _'She knows your identity. And she knows, somehow, I summoned more than one Servant. She has my time's Emiya hostage and says if we don't meet her challenge at the Emiya house she will kill him.'_

There was a pause. She almost felt Archer groaning. _'It's a trap. Did it ever occur to you maybe this kid's her Master? Think about it. A second Servant battle happens behind us, this kid suddenly shows up, Lancer wounds him, and then suddenly this Servant appears by his side and takes him as 'hostage'? And the choice of arena is— conveniently!— at _his_ house? It would also make sense if she can connect the dots between me and him if he is her Master.'_

_ 'But…' _Rin had to agree with his logic. It was spotless. According to Archer, her other Servants were Masters of their versions of the War and had summoned Saber every time. This white Servant totally fit the bill of being a Saber with that sword-shaped _thing. _It looked like a trap. It sounded like a trap. Hell, it even stunk like a trap with all the conflicting flavors in the air.

But it didn't feel right. Like there was something telling her to go anyways.

She put her foot down, '_We're going. Even if what you say is true, we'll be willingly walking right into it prepared. It's better if we find out now than make him our enemy later.'_

There was another pause as she felt Archer sigh. Even 'heard' him do it in the telepathic link. _'What a troublesome Master I have.'_

*Scene*

From saving the boy with Jus Gladii, there had been a link made between her and he. She knew his name, she knew of his dreams, she knew of his history, she knew of his experience, and, above all else of value to her, she knew of his potential. One day this boy will rise to become not just any Heroic Spirit, but one who will one day be her equal. But if, and only if, the grand sea-storm of ever changing possibilities and the laws of the Fates could be defied.

She was determined to see it done.

The boy's memories led her here, to the large Japanese manor belonging to this Emiya Shirou. Vincitore returned to the subspace that was her 'legend', to be called upon with a little mana and tearing the fabric of space/time. Artorius had lied him down on the couch of his living room and left the lights on for him to awaken in haste. Already her Master was bombarding her with psychic attacks to break the mental barrier she was supporting. He was… upset, for lack of a better word. After all, she had saved three, possibly more, Servants who could match her in combat.

When Equal Footing was active, that is.

She sighed and allowed her Master to connect. "_Maestro, _send word to Lancer. The boy she wanted to hunt is still alive."

_'Why did you revive him?' _he asked in monotone, yet any being hearing the conversation could feel the malice leaking from him.

Artorius walked out of the manor, closed it, locked it, placed the hidden key back under the mat, and calmly strolled down the well-kept pathway of a fine lawn. She admired this one's work. Living all alone with hardly any help and yet he is capable of keeping up with a team's worth of chores. Impressive.

"You are too refined for me to hide anything. Very well; I have my personal reasons, of course. If you would like an excuse, let us say he shows promise. Right now he is dreaming of me being his savior. He shall link the dream and reality together when he awakens. We will have an ally."

_'What do I care? What do you see that I cannot?'_

"He is a Master. A very powerful one," she answered.

_'And how do you know this?' _the question came so fast it could have been a scripted conversation.

"I am a Servant," was her only reply. Oh, she knew _everything _about Emiya Shirou. She even saw the confrontation he had with _Una Originale di Giove_. Just like how Cain had been chosen by her Liege, Emiya Shirou had been chosen and was already under sponsorship with Jupiter's essence. Not to mention the marvelous Noble Phantasm of the Fair Folk inside him.

And that was only the surface that stirred her insides. But a lady never reveals her secrets.

_'…Very well. I shall order Lancer to finish the job. Return to the temple.'_

Cain was indeed as smart as she believed him to be. A normal, brainless, mundane individual of this useless modern age would have argued with her over the idea of such a plan. 'Why kill him when you just saved his life?' they would ask. But Cain understood. Cain understood it all.

Shutting the gate behind her, Artorius took her time strolling out of the neighborhood. Her armor became dispersed and she walked in her normal battle gown. It was a lovely night out. Why waste it?

*Scene*

Rin approached the Emiya estate with Archer. She was worried. Archer continued to try and talk her out of coming, but she didn't listen. She agreed completely with what he had to say but she ignored it anyways. There hadn't been something right about that Servant. Not just the killing intent, or the maddening smile, or the miasma of death. But just something else Rin could not put her finger on.

It was mostly woman's intuition, which was why Archer couldn't understand.

**"Dolorous Stroke!" **came the voice of Lancer beyond the walls of the Emiya house.

There was the sound of metal on metal, voices shouting, and then she saw Lancer hop over the wall… and keep going. She jumped from one roof to the next with all the speed she could muster, determined to get away as fast as possible.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea showing up…

A man garbed in leather armor with a large bow hopped onto the top of the wall, knocked an equally large arrow, and aimed.

**"Fail-not," **he muttered and released.

The arrow tore through the air and Rin swore she could see it drill through space. She could not keep track of the arrow however or if it ever did hit Lancer. The Servant with the bow had spotted her. Just as fast as before he knocked another arrow and launched it at her without warning.

Archer deflected it with one of his white blades and grunted as he was pushed back, feet actually sliding by the force of the arrow.

That was the signal for whatever lay beyond those walls to attack. Two more Servants burst through the gates and came at them both. Then another, and another, and another, and another—

Then _many _more.

* * *

**Author notes Part 2!**

So it's apparent no one reads the author notes anyways. I've gotten a lot of messages saying none of the stat sheets posted on the first chapter is correct. On the second chapter I mentioned they weren't and was planning on redoing them. I've researched it greatly and am still currently reviewing each Shirous' individual story as references. So please ignore it. I'll try to correct them as soon as I can. Before the next chapter anyways.

For the record, I have NO idea what Range means. Can someone clarify that for me?

For now, enjoy these stats.

**Wise up! Servant stats!**

**Team Mars (2 of 4)**

Proxy Master: Cain Adams

Servant: Lancer

Identity: Gaius Cassius Longinus

Strength: D

Endurance: C

Agility: C

Mana: B

Luck: E

**Class Skills**

None

**Personal Skills**

Instinct: B (At this rank penalties caused through the hindrance of lost eyesight is lessened greatly. Certain attacks can be avoided through precognition)

Eye of Mind (False): C (At this rank 'sensing' the presence of those around her one normally would through the five mundane senses is possible)

Protection of the Faith: D (Grants minor protection. Attacks that have at least 30% of missing are increased to 40%. Certain lethal strikes may be lowered to debilitating)

Saint: N/A (Automatic HP Recovery selected)

**Noble Phantasms**

_The Spear of Destiny: _C (Anti-Unit; Capable of piercing through magic or divine protections)

_Dolorous Stroke: _B+ (Anti-Unit; Ignores mystic protections produced through Magecraft or Divinity. Delivers a wound that will at least be debilitating. The higher the level of protections used by the target the more powerful the blow becomes. Capable of being lethal when against B and above Ranked mystic defenses)

* * *

Servant: Unknown ("Servant of Slaying: Artorius")

Identity: Lucia Artorius Castus

Strength: A+

Endurance: A

Agility: A+

Mana: B+

Luck: N/A

**Class Skills**

Riding: A++ (Creatures on the level of _Phantasmal Beast_ and _Divine Beast_ can be used as mounts. Those of the _Dragon Kind _must be forced into submission before being claimed as mounts)

**Personal Skills**

Bloodlust: B (Renders the psyche of the Servant driven to fight until satisfied. At this rank, Artorius can only be compelled to not fight with the use of a Command Seal or until satisfied. One battle every three days is required to keep her 'sane'. On the fourth day, Bloodlust builds up and can render the Servant berserk. Mental interference of most kinds are negated except those of A-Rank and above. Even then their effects are lowered noticeably. With B-Rank, can only control 4 _Dux Legionum _at a time)

Equal Footing: B (When facing a challenge meeting the Servant's standards, Parameters are altered to match the contested. At this rank, both Strength and Agility stats will match the same as the target's. When there is more than one target, Equal Footing will match the Parameters of the target with the highest ranking. Can also change when the target's 'Strength' and 'Agility' alter by any means)

Curse of the Fae: A+++ (Hinders the luck stat. At this rank, the Luck Parameter is reduced significantly, making Artorius' Luck non-existent. Pure skill alone can save her from attacks requiring 'Luck Check' or the use of a Noble Phantasm of equal or greater force)

**Noble Phantasms**

_Vincitore- the white dragon of victory: _A++ (Anti-Army; Bound by Artorius, Vincitore's Paramaters match that of her rider's. Max speed approximately 650 km/h. Those mounted upon Vincitore share its resistance to the laws of aviation. Capable of blocking A-rank attacks of physical and mystic kind with its scales and A+ physical attacks with its fangs, claws, and 'spikes'. Dragon Breath of 'photon light')

_Dux Legionum- The Leader of Legions: _A+ (Anti-Unit/Support; Capable of taking shape of any handheld weapon and armor if it is of reasonable size. Abilities of mystic weapons/armor Dux Legionum replicates are not carried over. Durability determined by the wielder's will to fight. Capable of withstanding A-Rank mystics and A++ physical attacks. Amount capable of being handled at a time is determined by the Bloodlust Skill)

_Blutgericht- The Blood Court: _EX (Support; Anything stored inside Blutgericht is considered within another dimension and cannot be reached unless unlocked. Made from materials not found from Earth, anything perceived through Gaia directed at the sheath will be ineffective)

_Jus Gladii- The Right of the Sword: _EX (?)

* * *

Last note.

I'm looking for a Beta. I think it's about time I ask for some support since I'm quite serious about this story. Anyone offering or know of any good ones to inquire about?

**Posted 11/17/13**


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